The return of the water - IUCN

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From its inception, the Waza Logone project faced a situation where conservation efforts were frustrated by the hostile relationships between the conservation authorities and the local communities (Drijver, 1991; Scholte et al., 1996). Additionally, the project found that many conflicts occurred among the various groups of people in the floodplain area: • Farmers may occupy traditional grazing areas, particularly in the wet season grazing grounds, outside the floodplain area; • Since cattle and wild grazers eat the same grasses, they may compete with each other; • Predators may prey on the most abundant prey, so that when cattle out-compete wild grazers, proportionally more cattle will be killed and eaten; • Herders may allow their livestock to graze illegally within the perimeter of the Park, bringing them into conflict with game wardens; • Whilst migrating, pastoralists may destroy fishing canals in the floodplain, and cattle may destroy crops that are in the field; • The fishing rights in the floodplain, traditionally vested with the Kotoko, have been disputed by another tribe, the Musgum (Van Est, 1999); • Fish caught within the boundaries of the national park, are illegally acquired, thus bringing those fishers in conflict with the Park’s authority. Tourists are attracted by the landscape and the wildlife (Plate 1.2.). Visiting tourists pay entrance fees, the bulk of which are collected by the Central Government. Little was distributed to the local communities around the National Park. This increased the antagonistic attitude of the local population towards the National Park Authorities. More than 1,000 elephants make use of the floodplain, but the Waza and Kalamalue National Parks are too small for the entire elephant population to find sufficient food. Consequently, many elephants move to other feeding areas, outside the Parks, destroying fields and possessions of the people en route (De Iongh et al., 1999; Tchamba, 1996a,b; Tchamba et al., 1994). The movement and distribution of wild animals in and around the National Parks necessitate appropriate management efforts involving local populations. This is one of the so-called “Malawi Principles” of the Ecosystem Approach for the conservation of biological diversity (CBD, 1998). Guinea fowl populations can be managed for sustainable meat off take at the village level. Many antelopes graze on the floodplain east of the park in the dry season. Lions venture out of the protected area of the Waza National Park in pursuit of their prey. Cows and small stock fall prey to the lions. The solution of the ensuing conflicts arising from livestock predation by lions requires a higher level of management than the Park Warden or the Village Chief. Elephants roam from the Kalamalue Park as far as the town of Maroua, causing destruction on the way. The appropriate level to address the elephant problem therefore would be at the Provincial level of the Governor. The reform of the management of the natural resources and conflict control are the two important pillars of the Waza Logone project. Sharing the responsibilities for the upkeep of protected areas with the local communities may provide the necessary incentives to the disadvantaged people (Barbier, 1992; Drijver, 1991; Drijver, et al., 1995; Moritz et al., 2002; Scholte et al., 1996). Organising all stakeholders on the floodplain is the other innovative approach that recurs in this book. 1.4 Organisation of the book Introduction This book describes the efforts undertaken by the Waza Logone project over the past ten years to mitigate the ecological and socio-economic effects of the dam on the floodplain area and its inhabitants. To achieve sustainable use of the natural resources in the floodplain area, the project’s main aim was to provide a sustainable livelihood for the local people and to maintain the diversity of the biological resources of the floodplain. The developments in the Logone floodplains can be 9
The Return of the Water considered as an example for other floodplain areas in Central and West Africa in general, and those of the Lake Chad Basin in particular. Part I covers a general introduction to the book. Enhanced food production has been, and still is, a major concern for the governments of many countries that are regularly facing food shortages. In the past, large infrastructural projects have been designed without consideration of the consequences for the environment and without consulting the local populations. Part II describes the historical and political developments that have led to the rice scheme at Maga in the late 1970s. At that time formal environmental impact assessments were not required. Nonetheless, the local population had already forseen many of the problems that later led to the establishment of the Waza Logone project to mitigate the consequences of the infrastructural works. Part III provides a more detailed overview of the physical and ecological settings of the Waza Logone region. It deals with the various scales at which the region can be considered. In order to find adequate remedies for the deteriorating situation, it is important to realise how the floodplain is used and how the effects of the changing flooding regime impacts on receiving ecosystems. Part IV deals with the people who live in the floodplain. This Part provides an account of how the livelihoods of the various ethnic groups in the floodplain are dictated by the dynamics of the floodplain, and how this defines the incomes of the various user groups. The interventions that the project has undertaken so far are presented in Part V. The history of Waza Logone project, its objectives and the actions undertaken by the project to achieve the restoration of inundation of the floodplain are described. After a number of pilot flood releases hydrological models were developed to examine full-scale release options. The benefits associated with a few of these re-flooding options are examined. The project developed a management structure for the sustainable use of the floodplain and its resources. The book concludes with Part VI, which provides a recipe for ecosystem restoration based on the Ecosystem Approach, adopted by the Convention on the Conservation of Biological Diversity, as the leading principle for ecosystem management. Finally, based on the experiences of the Waza Logone Project, guidelines for Sahelian floodplain management are developed. 10
Page 1 and 2: IUCN - The World Conservation Union
Page 3 and 4: The designation of geographical ent
Page 6 and 7: Table of Contents Foreword vii Cont
Page 8 and 9: Foreword This book tells the story
Page 10 and 11: Contributors Dr. Mike Acreman, Head
Page 12 and 13: from the Atlas de la Province de l
Page 14 and 15: List of Tables 1.1 Major floodplain
Page 16: List of Plates 1.1 Different views
Page 20 and 21: 1 1.1 Floodplains Introduction By P
Page 22 and 23: Introduction Rainfall in the Sahel
Page 24 and 25: species of ungulates, such as korri
Page 28: Part II The Receding Water
Page 31 and 32: The Return of the Water tonnes to 4
Page 33 and 34: The Return of the Water that the re
Page 36 and 37: 3 Consequences of the Dam and the D
Page 38 and 39: eduction in flooding (Drijver and M
Page 40: 3.3 Socio-economic consequences Con
Page 44 and 45: 4 The Wider Context By Sun Yan Evan
Page 46 and 47: Africa. A third migration route to
Page 48 and 49: The Wider Context The geographical
Page 50 and 51: 5 Hydrology of the Waza Logone Area
Page 52 and 53: variable, the extent, depth, durati
Page 54: Hydrology of the Waza Logone Area C
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Page 61 and 62: The Return of the Water dam, the pe
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Page 68: Part IV Living with the Seasons
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The Return of the Water from € 0.
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The Return of the Water The Musgum
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The Return of the Water check their
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Plate 1.2 Kob antelopes at the Mahe
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Plate 7.2 Seasonal movements of pas
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Plate 7.4 Fishing cannals in the Lo
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Plate 7.7 Big fish are only caught
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The Return of the Water staple food
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8 Conflicts and Conflict Management
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Conflicts and Conflict Management i
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Conflicts and Conflict Management i
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Part V The Intervention
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The Return of the Water for the Exi
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The Return of the Water both techni
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The Return of the Water (IUCN 2000a
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The Return of the Water 9.5 The Waz
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The Return of the Water of the part
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10 The Waza Logone Project in Actio
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The Waza Logone Project in Action F
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The Waza Logone Project in Action F
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The Waza Logone Project in Action f
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follow to obtain permits, and also,
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started by painting in red trees or
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The Waza Logone Project in Action
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The project maintained relations wi
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11 11.1 Introduction Economic Justi
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Although it is impossible to effect
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Economic Justification of Additiona
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Figure 11.5 Composition of incremen
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12 Tools and Practices for Floodpla
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of the 1994 and 1997 pilot flood re
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Tools and Practices for Floodplain
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A major output from the study was a
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Step 10. Monitor, evaluate and adap
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5. Assess the impacts of options.
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Introduction 137
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Introduction From this premise the
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Introduction One of the most promis
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Introduction reorganisation of the
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Introduction Improving the effectiv
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Map 6.1 Satellite images showing se
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Map 6.3 Positions of two elephants
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Introduction Beauvilain, A. 1981.
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Introduction Gash, J.H.C., C.A. Nob
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Introduction Moritz, M., P. Scholte
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Introduction communities’ and ind
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