Sustaining the World's Large Marine Ecosystems

The development of the BCLME project proposal known as the Project
Development Facility (PDF) phase was a long and complicated process taking
over two years to complete, but it was viewed as essential in laying down the
groundwork and structures for the very successful implementation phase. It was
carried out in 1997-2000 and consisted of the following milestones:
a) Synthesis and assessment of information on the BCLME
This important part of the process was the gathering of data to synthesize and
assess the existing information which was then compiled into a suite of six
comprehensive reports on fisheries, oceanography and environmental variability,
marine diamond mining, the coastal zone, offshore oil and gas and socioeconomics.
These reports that identified key issues, threats and gaps in
knowledge, were reviewed by experts and submitted as supporting appendices
with the PDF proposal to the GEF.
b) First Stakeholder Workshop – Broad Consultations
The first stakeholder workshop was held in Cape Town in July 1998. It brought
together the key players and stakeholders from the region as well as
representatives from outside international agencies. This workshop was an
important milestone in building trust, co-operation and consensus on forging a
way ahead for the development of a co-ordinated integrated approach to BCLME
management. The use of a professional moderator ensured broad involvement
and a bottom up approach with regional scientists and managers driving the
agenda.
The workshop defined the broad issues and agreed on a work plan that outlined
responsibilities and a timetable to achieve the necessary actions. It also
established formal mechanisms for communication and consultation between key
stakeholders. There was broad stakeholder participation including from all the
government ministries and relevant agencies, the three countries, and from the
commercial and artisanal fisheries sectors, mining, oil and gas, port authorities,
tourism sectors, various NGOs and some donor agencies.
c) Second Stakeholder Workshop – Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis
(TDA)
The second regional workshop, smaller and more focused, was tasked with
developing a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the BCLME. It was
held in Okahandja, Namibia in April 1999 and was attended by key government
ministries from the region as well as by representatives of the private sector,
NGOs, donors and GEF consultants. The main objective of the workshop was to
define and agree on the major elements of the TDA, achieve consensus on a
framework for the Strategic Action Plan (SAP), and ensure ownership of the
process and outputs by the stakeholders.
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