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Taking lessons about International Waters home |
By Kehiyomuti Asser Katunahange, Walvis Bay Municipality
 It had been an honour and a privilege to be part of the delegation selected among few individuals of the international community, representing various GEF sponsored water projects, to attend the International Waters Conference in Cape Town from 31 July to 3 August 2007. This was just a dream one is afraid to have. The objectives of the conference were to look at the GEF projects’ innovations and achievements; lessons and good practices learned; obstacles encountered and adapting new concepts; and sustainability and applicability to other GEF projects.
What was recurring through the conference was the overuse and conflicting uses of water resources in transboundary surface and ground water basins. All water projects introduced their strategic programs, and indicated through indicators whether they have met their expected outcomes or not.
My expectations were to look at how effectively all those great ideas and wonderful programs have been implemented. What were the relationships between national, local and regional governments and the water projects in those respective countries? Were there any political commitments made on ecosystem-based joint action on sustainable fisheries and integrated coastal management? What about the common man? Did the local communities know what was happening with the resources around them? Was public participation promoted enough? What can be replicated and taken home?
The vision for international waters
According to the Honourable Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources of the Republic of Namibia, it was pertinent for countries to talk to each other about managing water resources, because various water bodies in the world are shared with neighboring countries. He warned that no country could manage her water resources unilaterally, because sustainable management of water resources depends on adjacent countries being effective partners.
According to the Deputy Director-General of the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, Honourable Fritz Holzwarth, one of the interesting revelations was that poor water management techniques are hidden behind climate change. He emphasized that shared water is a ‘catalyst for cooperation’. He also indicated that coastal systems are polluted and their resources overexploited and/or over fished, and therefore external consultancies do not solve problems of inhabitants; what is vital is the maintenance of ownership of knowledge and practices.
Celebrating IW achievements
Various international water-related projects shared their achievements with the rest of the conference participants. The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) Programme and BENEFIT celebrated their transformation into the Benguela Current Commission (BCC). There are also talks to use top predators as ecosystem health indicators in the management of the oceanic biodiversity in the Benguela current region.
According to Mr Ngoile, Director of National Environmental Management Council, Tanzania, marine and coastal environmental management is the need of local coastal communities to sustain their environment, therefore the management strategy should be bottom-up and not top-down.
There is an inadequate intervention to tie coastal communities’ livelihood within a framework of empowering local resources management.
Conversation tables
In the process of refining vital learning issues on foundations of good International Water Governance and institutions, various water projects revealed their strategies that are in place to realize those objectives.
In the case of the Pacific Islands and the Oceanic Fisheries Management Project, various layers of fisheries management and measures are in place or are being developed that require policy shifts, intensified compliance and scientific collaboration, but the benefits to the local men and women are not clear—and that was what most delegates wanted to find out.
The delegates from China and The Gulf of Thailand discussed the mechanisms they put in place to reverse environmental degradation.
South Africa presented their case study on sustainable use of marine living resources versus socio economic benefit. The theme was around Conservation for the present and the future. They had a socio economic study “consultation“ with coastal communities on good governance.
The BCLME presented on the effect of seals on bird mortality in the region. The emphasis was also put on shared resources management strategies, i.e. a) scientific consensus; b) political will; and c) negotiated solutions by all stakeholders.
They also alluded to biological information needed for shared resources management such as:
- Life history – spawning time and space, breeding, retention, nursery and migration.
- Distribution of biomass in time and space.
- Food chain relationship (who supplies the biomass?)
The golden rule is that the environment determines food availability and food determines species distribution. Therefore the necessity of keeping the ecological systems healthy cannot be taken for granted or ignored.
The experience that I have picked up during this conference will be put to good use, in our efforts to facilitate information dissemination to the coastal communities.
To read more about the GEF Fourth Biennial International Waters Conference visit http://www.getf.org/iwc4/index.cfm, and about GEF International Waters Projects go to http://www.gefweb.org/projects/Focal_Areas/iw/iw.html
To hear more about Walvis Bay Municipality’s activities contact Asser at akatunahange@mfmr.gov.na
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