222893e

TRANSBOUNDARY WATER MANAGEMENTImage: B NouryCanoe trails along the Okavango River have been set up to generate local incomeAs a key lesson, this GWN project outlines that raising awarenessof the interdependence of environmental issues and the fact thatsolutions to environmental problems often concern neighbouringcommunities, will increase people’s willingness to cooperate.In the Okavango River Basin, the ERP portrays a different modelof transboundary cooperation while highlighting the importance ofthe involvement of local communities.It is a regional project jointly coordinated by the KalahariConservation Society in Botswana, the Namibian Nature Foundationin Namibia and the Association for Environment Conservation andIntegrated Rural Development in Angola. The project had twomain phases and ran from 2000 to 2007. Its overall objective wasto promote sustainable management of natural resources in theOkavango Basin and facilitate river basin stakeholders in decisionmakingprocesses concerning the basin.The first phase focused on exchanging information, establishinglinks with relevant bodies, and promoting understanding betweenOkavango riparian communities and project staff. Through socioecologicalsurveys, the project was introduced to communitiesand information about community-resource relationships wasgathered. These interviews and focus groups carried out in thewhole basin have been key in identifying the issues faced by thecommunities, determining the causes of these issues and suggestingpossible solutions.Based on this first assessment, the second phase of the projectpromoted the establishment of appropriate institutional mechanismsand capacity building for sustainable natural resourcemanagement in specific local communities. At the basin level, aBasin Wide Forum (BWF) was established. This is a consultativeforum of stakeholders coming from the communities livingalong the Okavango River. In each riparian state,ten members are elected represented by one nationalrepresentative. The BWF regional chairman participatesin the Okavango River Basin Water Commission(OKACOM) meetings with the commissioners. TheBWF ensures dual flow of information by keeping bothbasin communities, including traditional leaders, aswell as basin authorities, such as OKACOM, informedof each other’s opinions and initiatives. It ensures acommon vision and understanding of the problemsand challenges in the natural resources managementof the Okavango River Basin.At the local level, the ERP launched naturalresources management activities and developmentprojects within communities (campsites, trophyhunting, bird guiding, mokoro [canoe] trails, traditionaldances and so forth). Many of those activitieswere not directly linked to the water resources, butthey generated income for the communities whosubsequently took more interest in maintaining andmanaging their environment. For example, trophyhunting can earn up to USD20,000 for the communityby allowing elephant hunting on its natural reserve.In order to respect hunting quotas, an agreementwith the Ministry of Environment and Tourism wassigned for each hunter by the Traditional Authority.The incomes generated by these activities are sharedbetween all the members of the community.These combined activities assist the ERP to achieveits development targets which fall broadly under the[ 47 ]