The return of the water - IUCN

The Return of the Water
It was agreed that SAWEG would be action-oriented and that different sub-groups would be selected
to undertake different projects in the form of task forces, which could be disbanded, if necessary,
when the product was complete (Acreman, 1996b). In the early days of the network, it was felt that
there was a need to produce guidelines for the sustainable management of Sahelian floodplains
(SAWEG, 1999). This publication brings together wide experience of the issues, problems and
solutions to floodplain management. The experience gained in the Waza Logone project became a
central part of the guidelines.
The information below provides a summary of the guidelines presented in the publication “Towards
the sustainable management of Sahelian floodplains” prepared by the IUCN Sahelian Wetlands
Expert Group (GEPIS, 2000). These guidelines constitute a mechanism for effective international
co-operation to share information and experience on how to use water and aquatic ecosystems
sustainably. They are also intended to help contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention implement
Article 5, which requires them to: “... co-ordinate and support present and future policies and
regulations concerning the conservation of wetlands and their flora and fauna... especially in the
case of a wetland extending over the territories of more than one Contracting Party”.
It is not intended that these guidelines provide an unambiguous recipe for successful management.
Rather they aim to provide a framework within which the issues of individual river basins and their
floodplains can be set. The following section highlights in a concise way the major principles and
actions from the guidelines that are related to activities in the Waza Logone project. In many cases,
the guidelines were developed from the experience of the project. The guidelines cover five areas
of management: A. Planning a sustainable management programme for Sahelian floodplains; B.
Implementation; C. Awareness building, institution strengthening and training; D. Financing of
floodplain development; E. Policy.
A. Planning a sustainable management programme for Sahelian floodplains.
Planning provides a structured way of solving problems and achieving objectives. It involves viewing
the floodplain and its catchment as a single system, which has economic, social and environmental
components that interact. The steps involved in planning are:
1. Bring together key stakeholders.
• Bring together all stakeholders and develop a process of participation, not just consultation.
• Have each stakeholder define his/her core interest rather than a rigid viewpoint.
2. Collate available information.
• Develop a data collection strategy and collect information e.g. hydrology, vegetation, soils.
• Identify traditional floodplain uses, e.g. recession agriculture, grazing.
• Establish a data management strategy and set up databases.
• Involve local communities in data collection, especially on local traditional knowledge.
• Publish summary information and circulate copies widely.
3. Analyse information.
• Quantify floodplain ecosystem functions.
• Determine health status of people and animals, hot spots and trends.
• Prepare results that are comprehensible to non-specialists.
• Establish research programmes to address unanswered questions.
4. Define a range of development options.
• Involve all stakeholders.
• Define a range of development options.
• Promote restoration of sites whose value has been degraded.
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