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T
ransboundary
W
ater
M
anagement
As a key lesson, this GWN project outlines that raising awareness
of the interdependence of environmental issues and the fact that
solutions to environmental problems often concern neighbouring
communities, will increase people’s willingness to cooperate.
In the Okavango River Basin, the ERP portrays a different model
of transboundary cooperation while highlighting the importance of
the involvement of local communities.
It is a regional project jointly coordinated by the Kalahari
Conservation Society in Botswana, the Namibian Nature Foundation
in Namibia and the Association for Environment Conservation and
Integrated Rural Development in Angola. The project had two
main phases and ran from 2000 to 2007. Its overall objective was
to promote sustainable management of natural resources in the
Okavango Basin and facilitate river basin stakeholders in decision-
making processes concerning the basin.
The first phase focused on exchanging information, establishing
links with relevant bodies, and promoting understanding between
Okavango riparian communities and project staff. Through socio-
ecological surveys, the project was introduced to communities
and information about community-resource relationships was
gathered. These interviews and focus groups carried out in the
whole basin have been key in identifying the issues faced by the
communities, determining the causes of these issues and suggest-
ing possible solutions.
Based on this first assessment, the second phase of the project
promoted the establishment of appropriate institutional mecha-
nisms and capacity building for sustainable natural resource
management in specific local communities. At the basin level, a
Basin Wide Forum (BWF) was established. This is a consulta-
tive forum of stakeholders coming from the communities living
along the Okavango River. In each riparian state,
ten members are elected represented by one national
representative. The BWF regional chairman partici-
pates in the Okavango River Basin Water Commission
(OKACOM) meetings with the commissioners. The
BWF ensures dual flow of information by keeping both
basin communities, including traditional leaders, as
well as basin authorities, such as OKACOM, informed
of each other’s opinions and initiatives. It ensures a
common vision and understanding of the problems
and challenges in the natural resources management
of the Okavango River Basin.
At the local level, the ERP launched natural
resources management activities and development
projects within communities (campsites, trophy
hunting, bird guiding, mokoro [canoe] trails, tradi-
tional dances and so forth). Many of those activities
were not directly linked to the water resources, but
they generated income for the communities who
subsequently took more interest in maintaining and
managing their environment. For example, trophy
hunting can earn up to USD20,000 for the community
by allowing elephant hunting on its natural reserve.
In order to respect hunting quotas, an agreement
with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism was
signed for each hunter by the Traditional Authority.
The incomes generated by these activities are shared
between all the members of the community.
These combined activities assist the ERP to achieve
its development targets which fall broadly under the
Canoe trails along the Okavango River have been set up to generate local income
Image: B Noury