If you have any suggestions for the next edition, or there is something you feel we ought to include, please contact our team at admin@dlist-benguela.org. Consider this newsletter also your tool to share information and good ideas.
" We are the first generation with tools to understand changes in the Earth’s system caused by human activity, and the last with the opportunity to influence the course of many of the changes now rapidly under way" Peter Vitousek, Stanford University 1997
Welcome to the seventh edition of the DLIST Newsletter! After a long absence the DLIST-Benguela Newsletter is back and hoping to bring you regular updates during 2010! Our feature article takes a look at the new Benguela Current Commission (BCC). We have undertaken interviews with key personnel to assess the activities and challenges the commission envisages for the year ahead. Our featured partner is the new DLIST Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystem. The new DLIST site on the east side of Africa will replicate all the successes of the DLIST-Benguela project and build on the lessons learned. In the ASCLME region DLIST aims to focus more intensely on community participation in decision making processes.
This issue is also filled with other interesting articles. Read about the coastal policy process that Namibia is currently undergoing. The process has been hailed as a remarkable example of a ‘bottom up, top down’ policy initiative, one in which Government and civil society has joined hands in confronting the difficulties preventing optimal use of our coastal areas. The article is also available for the first time in Oshiwambo! Also read about the new online courses DLIST has developed together with its partners, one of which is the exciting stakeholder participation course. Other interesting articles include the sustainable tourism initiatives in the coastal Mozambican town of Vilankulos and a soon to be published indigenous knowledge book on the Richtersveld region of South Africa.
For those of you who are still unfamiliar with the DLIST (Distance Learning and Information Sharing Tool) project, it is an initiative that was started in 1998. The team realised that access to information and sharing of information is a challenge, especially for grass-roots communities. DLIST solicits and disseminates information to and from a variety of sources and target audiences.
DLIST – Benguela has made an impact in the BCLME region, and beyond. Through the DLIST web-based platform as well as practical outreach channels such as radio, film festivals and partnering with relevant stakeholders , communities are given the opportunity to have their voices heard and are informed on what their rights are.
The newsletter presently goes to all registered DLIST users, as well as many people who may be new to the platform. If you would like to learn more on DLIST, you can find out here. If you have suggestions for newsletter articles, please write to our team at admin@dlist-benguela.org.
Best regards The DLIST-Benguela Team
MAIN FEATURE DLIST and the Benguela Current Commission: Striving for Transparency
The countries of South Africa, Namibia and Angola share a common marine environment, endowed with a wealth of resources that is commercially valuable and also sustains the small rural communities bordered by the coastal region. In managing the coastal resources all role players in the region from local communities to globally funded programmes should be interacting and sharing information so that informed decisions are made that are sustainable and will benefit all stakeholders. It is in keeping with the values information sharing that DLIST espouses, that we bring you the interviews undertaken with key players in the Benguela Current Commission, the body that acts as an advisory to the 3 participating countries government. We asked them about the roles they undertake, and the achievements and challenges they foresee in the year ahead.
FEATURED PARTNER DLIST for the Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystem
After successfully piloting the DLIST project along the south west coast of Africa as part of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem Programme (BCLME), a new DLIST has been developed for the east coast as part of the Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystem Programme (ASCLME). The new DLIST will continue with all the successful endeavours from its pilot phase and develop further strategies to fulfil its aims of ensuring that the agenda of the people on the ground is heard and taken into account. Read on to find out more about some of the interesting initiatives it has in store.
Namibia Issues in an All Inclusive Coastal Policy The Green Paper for the Namibian Coastal Policy Process has been finalised and has been made available to the public. It is a very important document for a country with such a unique environment and a coastline with such immense potential. The coastal policy process has done a commendable job in developing a human centred approach to managing the coast and its resources. People are after all still the primary influence on how coastal resources are used… this article highlights the approaches used to ensure an all inclusive coastal policy.
Ompango Yominkulofuta yaNamibia In further reaching out to communities, our article on the Namibian coastal policy process is the first DLIST article to be translated into Oshiwambo. For those who are interested, read it here!
New Courses on Offer! The DLIST stakeholder participation course has just completed its second successful run. One the course's successes was found in the fact that it brought together a group of people from various sectors to converse with one another, share and learn about the importance and usefulness of a proper stakeholder participation process. The course is useful to anyone who is interested in the general process of stakeholder participation and is open to anyone. In response to the increasing pressures that industries are placing on our environment, the Polytechnic of Namibia has also developed a Cleaner Production course specifically aimed at engineering students. Keep an eye on DLIST for further upcoming exciting courses!
Sustainable Tourism in Mozambique The coastal Mozambican town of Vilankulo is said to have rich and untapped cultural and environmental assets. In a country where tourism is way of boosting the local economies of its cities, the features of this small coastal town translate into the potential to be a world class destination. That is, if a symbiotic relationship between conservation and tourism can be met, if the local population becomes an active and beneficial part of the industry and if the current pressure for development can be properly managed. A tall ask?
Legacies from the Past Folk knowledge, traditional wisdom or indigenous knowledge... the knowledge acquired over generations by communities as they interact with their environment is often the basis for local-level decision making in areas such as agriculture, health care and natural resource management. But why are we losing our traditional practices and how can we rediscover them? Read on to find out more about how a group of people called the Richtersvelders in the remote Northern Cape region, have found ways to conserve their heritage.
Madagascar: Biodiversity as a Victim of the Political Crisis An active DLIST user from Madagascar reports on the effect the country’s political woes are having on the lands precious resources. Uncontrolled exploitation of 2 of the country’s valuable National Parks – Mosoala and Marjejy continues. Read more: [ visit thread ]
The Role of Protected Areas in Coping with Climate Change With the recent groundbreaking climate summit held in Copenhagen, DLISTers discuss some of the statements and outcomes of the summit, the role of protected areas and importance of not losing sight of the people on the ground whose lives are affected on a daily basis by climate change. [ visit thread ]
Cartoneros and Social Change DLIST users from three different continents discuss sources of land based and marine pollution, especially over the festive season and share positive experiences in finding common solutions to this problem. [ visit thread]
On the Subject of Communication An interesting debate arises on the power imbalances in integrated coastal management paradigms, governance issues, the incorporation of cultural values, co-management strategies, and the LME approach. [ visit thread ]
Can we Prevent the End of Fish? What it will take to turn the tide on the decline of the world's marine fish populations and improve the health of our ocean ecosystems? Read more. [ visit thread ]
