Appropriate Governance of the Life Sciences - Cross-national convergence of biosafety systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

The policy brief presents some key observations from an analysis of the processes towards emergence of similar cross-national biosafety systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The promises and challenges of modern biotechnology are as widely acknowledged as they are contested, raising the stakes for efforts to develop systems for governing the technology. The article is available here.

Supporting local governance to get research into policy

Researchers who work in developing countries are increasingly being asked by funders to demonstrate that their findings are being taken up in policy and practice. The author suggets that one way this can be done is by building relationships with highly influential individuals, often referred to as 'policy entrepreneurs'. Policy analysis research has repeatedly shown that well-placed, well-networked, or highly respected people can play an important, informal role in getting research issues on the agendas of decision makers, or moving the policymaking process forward when it stalls. Yet all research findings have political implications. Donors concerned with getting research findings into policy, but equally concerned with not dominating local priorities, should work to support or develop local institutions that review, process and recommend evidence to policymakers. Full article available here.

OKACOM at SADC Water Ministers Meeting

OKACOM representatives joined water specialists and officials from the SADC region in Maseru, Lesotho last week at the annual meeting of SADC water Minsters. A focus of the meeting was formal announcement of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) Agreement after six of the eight countries that share the Zambezi river basin completed their ratification processes and successfully deposited their ratification instruments with the SADC Secretariat. Zambezi ministers responsible for water, who met in Maseru on Wednesday, 21st September, 2011, a day before the meeting for SADC Ministers responsible for water, confirmed that the required number of countries for the Agreement to be in force had been reached. The Zambezi Water Ministers directed the SADC Secretariat to facilitate the establishment of the ZAMCOM Organs speedily within a year. This will be done with the help of the Interim
ZAMCOM Secretariat (IZS) hosted by the Government of the Republic of Botswana Gaborone. The IZS was established in May 2011 and is financially supported by the Norwegian Government, through the Norwegian Embassy in Lusaka in Zambia. The prime objective of the
ZAMCOM Agreement is to promote the equitable and reasonable utilization of the water resources of the Zambezi watercourse as well as its efficient management and sustainable development.

OKACOM organized a side event at the meeting to brief water Minsters from Angola, Botswana and Namibia about completion of the
Cubango-Okavango Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and OKACOM's Strategic Action programme. Find the media release here:

How Transboundary Water management may serve to reduce poverty

Improved transboundary water management (TWM) can bring benefits for poor people living within shared basins. This report examines how power asymmetry mediates the relationship between TWM and poverty reduction. The message is clear for those designing and leading TWM policy and projects and that is failure to engage the basin hegemon constructively will hamper effective TWM cooperation, but the most effective strategy to confront power asymmetries will vary from basin to basin. Different options to provide strategic support and enable effective TWM are provided to help guide decision-makers towards the best alternatives to fit their local context.

ORI Seminar Presentations: Dr. E. Struyf and Professor D. Conley

In the latest ORI seminar series , Professor Daniel Conley from the Department of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Lund University made a presentation titled, "Global Biogeochemical Si Cycle". The second presentation was a collaboration of Dr. Eric Struyf from the University of Antwerp, Department of Biology and Professor D. Conley on " Emerging understanding of the biological silica filter". The two visiting researchers will be working with ORI Senior Research Scholar, Dr. Mike Murray-Hudson on a study titled "A first quantification of biogenic silica pools and fluxes in the Okavango Delta". This project is a collaborative effort between University of Botswana, and the universities of Antwerp and Lund and forms part of a larger comparative study between the Okavango and the Fly River of Papau New Guinea.

Government notices of interest

From the Botswana Government Gazette, Vol. XLIX, no. 49, 26 August, 2011 Application for water rights:

Motopi Trading Store-draw off Boteti River at Makalamabedi Farms( Central District)-20m3 per day for game watering; Popagano Syndicate-Borehole at Xareng-18.2m3 per day for domestic use; Lepaletswe Joseph Masedi -river draw off Thamalakane at Thamalakane/Koromo (North West District) - 200 m3 per day for irrigation use; Barbara Ntombi Ngwenya -river draw off Thamalakane River at Matlapaneng (North West District) 60 m3 per day for domestic use and irrigation use; Noseko Keemetsekgosi- river draw off at River at Thamalakane west (North West District)- 200m3 per day for irrigation use; Keikanetswe Sarefo- river draw off at Boro River at Boro (North West District)-100m3 per day for irrigation use.

Republic of Botswana: Department of Surveys and Mapping: Supply of satellite imagery(tiff) for eight (8) settlements and three blocks in the South East part of Botswana at resolutions 0.6M and 0.8-1M respectively: Tender no-. MTC/MLH/DSM/SATELLITE IMAGERY/908/13072011

Republic of Botswana: Department of Surveys and Mapping: Production of "digital line mapping for 20 settlements at scale 1:5 000": Tender No. MTC/MLH/DSM/DIGITAL LINE MAPPING/907/13072011

Republic of Botswana: Supply of satellite imagery(tiff) for eight (8) settlements and three blocks in the South East part of Botswana at resolutions 0.6M and 0.8-1M respectively: Tender no-. MTC/MLH/DSM/SATELLITE IMAGERY/908/13072011

Republic of Botswana: Department of Surveys and Mapping: upgrade, installation, configuration and testing of Maun and Selebi-Phikwe Regional Office network: Tender No. MTC/MLH/DSM/MAUN AND SELEBI-PHIKWE NETWORK UPGRADE/910/12072011

Tender announcements and documents may also be found on the Government of Botswana web site. The entire issue of the Government Gazette may be read in ORI Library

Traditional medicine gains ground in African universities

According to a report published on traditional medicine on the continent, the number of African countries with national policies on traditional medicine increased almost fivefold 2001 and 2010, The report, published by WHO, Regional Committee for Africa two weeks ago , also found that the number of countries with strategic plans for traditional medicine increased from zero to 18 in the same period, and those with national regulatory frameworks rose from one to 28. For example in 2010, 22 countries conducted research on traditional medicines for malaria, HIV/AIDS, sickle-cell anaemia, diabetes and hypertension using WHO guidelines. According to WHO, roughly 80 per cent of people in developing countries depend on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare. Some African universities had incorporated traditional medicine into the curricula for medical and pharmacy students, the report found. Health ministers and the WHO African regional office agreed at the meeting to promote this integration as a way of increasing research in the field.

Ecosystems for water and food security

This report gives an overview of the linkages between ecosystems, water, and food security. Furthermore, it explores how to manage ecosystems for a variety of ecosystem services such as provisioning of water and food, and how to manage ecosystems in a sustainable way so they can substantially contribute to enhancing current and future food security and generate regulatory services such as the moderation of extreme events such as floods, droughts and storms, climate regulation and erosion prevention. Full report available from UNEP website.

ORI Seminar. "Internalization for conviviality"-Prof. Martin Henson

Professor Henson the Dean of International Relations of the University of Essex (UK) visited ORI today, where he gave a seminar on how ORI can participate in the Global Alliance which will form part of a small Global Alliance of universities that also includes the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, the State University of Campinas in Brazil, and the University of Konstanz in Germany. In his talk, he emphasised the growing realisation of forming partnerships to become effective on the world stage. His focus is on building small networks of intimate connections with the following characteristics; broadly based academically, broadly based activities, multi as well as bilateral links and a diverse but representative coalition.

ORI Research Scholar Dr. Demel Teketay Fanta receives historic promotion.

Dr. Demel Teketay Fanta, a Research Scholar at ORI, has recently been double-promoted to Associate Professor rank. Prof. Fanta who received his PhD from the Faculty of Forestry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, has previously worked at various capacities in different institutions prior to joining the institute as a Plant Ecologist in July 2009, i.e. the first African Regional Director of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – African Regional Office; Director General of and Director of Forestry Research in the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization; Graduate Assistant – Assistant Lecturer - Lecturer and Assistant Professor of Forest Vegetation Ecology at both Alemaya University and Wondo Genet College of Forestry. He has taught several courses and supervised/co-supervised 13 (3 currently) PhD and 18 Mphil/MSc students (1 currently). He has served as examiner/pre-reviewer of 12 PhD (Ethiopia, Finland, Netherlands, South Africa and Sweden) and 4 MSc (Ethiopia and South Africa) theses. He has published 153 scientific articles: 96 in peer-reviewed national and international journals, 11 book chapters, 19 in proceedings, 12 published articles,15 in quasi-scientific journals and different bulletins. He has also published 2 books and edited 2 books 1 special issue of a journal as well as a national report. His research and publications focus on the flora of Ethiopia; forests and livelihoods; responsible/sustainable forest management; diversity, structure, dynamics and conservation of forest resources; regeneration ecology; flowering and fruiting phenology; forest fire and its impact on forest species; restoration of degraded (forest) land; impact of plantations on indigenous woody species regeneration; medicinal and edible wild plants; and Ethno-botany and ecology. He is a member of several professional associations and serves/served as a member of the Governing Council and Executive Committee of the African Forest Forum (since 2007), Executive Committee of the International Association of Tropical Ecology (since 2005), Associate Editor of five national and international scientific journals: Ethiopian Journal of Natural Resources, Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences, Environmental Management, New Forests and Tropical Ecology, and Editorial Board of two international journals: FLORA and Journal of Science and Development. He has also been the recipient of seven national and international awards. The double promotion he got is the first in the history of University of Botswana. Congratulations Prof on this historic achievement!

The future of cloud computing

Predictions say that by 2020, most people will not be doing their work with software running on a general-purpose PC. Instead, they will work in Internet-based applications such as Google Docs, and in applications run from smartphones. The majority of technology experts and stakeholders participating in the fourth Future of the Internet survey claim that by 2020 most people will access software applications online and share and access information through the use of remote server networks, rather than depending primarily on tools and information housed on their individual, personal computers. They say that cloud computing will become more dominant than the desktop in the next decade.

ORI:Seminar Series: Soils, science and the politics of knowledge

Last week, ORI Research Scholar , Dr Oluwatoyin Kolawole presented a seminar on " Soils, science and the politics of knowledge: Some critical issues in the global debates on integrated soil fertility management in Sub-Saharan Africa". The paper identified and addressed institutional framings of soil fertility problem in SSA. Furthermore, he analysed the political economy [and ecology] of soil management in SSA; and investigates how farmers’ knowledge are engaged in the process of achieving ISFM in the sub-continent. Drawing on some empirical evidences from Nigeria, the paper concluded by suggesting the need for an economically viable and socio-culturally acceptable framework for intersecting both western and local knowledge in ISFM.

SADC Science, technology & innovation implementation framework to support climate change response

SADC's Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Implementation Framework to Support Climate Change Response was adopted by the region's science ministers in May. The SADC document describes activities in four areas where STI is crucial to tackling climate change: observation and monitoring; impacts, vulnerability and risks; mitigation; and adaptation.
The plan also focuses on identifying sectors vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including producing a vulnerability atlas identifying areas at increased risk of flooding or drought. Available at:http://www.scidev.net/uploads/File/SADC_ST_Implementation_Framework_to_support_climate_change_response_v5.pdf

Water in a changing world

This report, prepared by the World Water Assessment Programme under UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), assesses global freshwater resources including what drives the pressures facing them, how water is used, climate change's future effects on water supplies and options for improving water management for sustainable development. It also highlights the increasing demand for water, outlining the demographic, economic and social factors and reiterate that climate change will undoubtedly affect water resources. So investment in the water sector is important, to improve access to clean water as well as decrease pollution from untreated sewage discharge. How individual countries respond will depend on their own development objectives, capacity and political framework. The authors outline options for policymakers to increase supply, manage demand, reduce losses and reallocate resources. Link to full report available here.

National Biodiversity Indicators Portal

The National Biodiversity Indicators Portal is the leading resource for information on national biodiversity indicators. It provides guidance and examples to support the development and effective use of biodiversity indicators. These capacity building resources are the product of more than five years of experience by UNEP-WCMC and the BIP. It is designed principally to support biodiversity indicators at the national level, but it is relevant for working from the local to global scales. For more visit: http://www.bipnational.net

Botswana to develop policy to protect traditional knowledge

Botswana is developing a policy to protect, preserve and promote its indigenous knowledge and mainstream it into the country's macro-economic framework. Development of the policy will involve identifying, documenting and gathering local traditional knowledge practices from areas including agriculture, health, culture and religious beliefs, and then feeding them into a legislative framework. According to its project manager,Oabona Monngakgotla, "The initiative is intended to bring economic empowerment through benefit-sharing and [providing] royalties to communities rich in indigenous knowledge," said Oabona Monngakgotla, the project's manager. He said that Botswana has realised the importance of indigenous knowledge, such as using traditional herbal medicines to improve health and generate income. Botswana has no specific laws on indigenous knowledge systems. Instead it has isolated policies on natural resources, such as the National Policy on Natural Resource Conservation and Development and the National Policy on Culture, which fit within international frameworks including the Nagoya Protocol, an international agreement to combat biopiracy and share benefits from national resources research fairly.

Fracking controversy

A controversial method for extracting natural gas known as hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking' is stirring an environmental and property rights debate in South Africa. The controversy comes out of concerns over the safety of the technology, which uses large amounts of clean water mixed with sand and various chemicals to crack the rocks underground to release the gas. Various reports from the United States — where the method has spread widely over the past decade — suggest that the method pollutes water supplies, potentially endangering local environments and people's health. Full article available here.

New at ORI Library: Tourist destination governance

In this book, the authors aim to contribute to the understanding of best practices in tourist destination governance and to benchmark and advance ways of theorising these practices. Tourism is recognised as as complicated multi-sectoral activities with numerous stakeholders and with diverse and divergent goals and objectives. For this reason, achieving cooperation and collaboration amongst these stakeholders is a major concern for managers, communities and and academics. This book is now available in the ORI Library.

OKACOM at Stockholm Water Week's Water Governance Session

OKACOM Executive Secretary Dr Eben Chonguiça at seminar

A joint Twin2Go/Global Water System Project (GWSP), Global Water Partnership (GWP) and UNESCO-International Hydrological Programme (IHP) Seminar at the World Water Week in Stockholm on August 25th raised adaptive water governance issues. OKACOM Executive Secretary Dr Eben Chonguiça participated in the seminar, titled Governing Water Wisely: Adaptive Approaches to Water Resources Management.

The group discussed how a water governance system should be designed to be able to cope with complexity and uncertainty in the context of climate change, how approaches can be transferable across different basins and governance levels, and how transition towards adaptive water governance can be included in existing policy processes. Among others challenges to adaptive water governance, the seminar noted the complexity of achieving a paradigm shift on institutional frameworks for transboundary resources management that can effectively and efficiently operate beyond barriers of national sovereignty with an appropriate lateral thinking modus operandi..

The Twin2Go project has analysed governance systems in 25 river basins around the world. Together with regional experts and stakeholders, Twin2Go has ranked them with regard to governance and performance, and has identified best practices and lessons learnt for increasing adaptability.

ORI Seminar:Climatic and hydrological changes in the Okavango Delta.

During the period of 2009-2010 several parts of the world have experienced remarkably extreme meteorological events. In the wetlands of the Okavango Delta, the 2009-2011 floods were unexpectedly high, reaching magnitudes last seen 30-40 years ago, and considerably affecting life of local populations and the economically important tourism industry.In his seminar presentation, Climatic and hydrological changes in the Okavango Delta, ORI Professor, Piotr Wolski's paper was an attempt at identifying the climatological causes of these events in the context of their predictability using seasonal weather forecasts and to assess the extent to which these events are attributable to GHG-driven climate change as opposed to natural variability. The study is based on an ensemble of runs of the HadAM3P model, forced by a) observed SST fields (GHG world) and b) SSTs with effects of historical anthropogenic forcings removed (non-GHG world). Changes in inundation distribution within the Okavango Delta are, however, not just a product of exogenous or climatic influences. Endogeneous changes related to geomorphological and vegetation development of the system can cause redistribution of water which result in some parts drying, while others are subject to more extensive flooding.

Climate change and forest diseases

With climate changes, the effects of forest diseases on forest ecosystems will change. The authors discuss four types of forest and disease management tactics – monitoring, forecasting, planning and mitigation – and provide case studies of yellow-cedar decline and sudden aspen decline to illustrate how forest diseases might be managed in the face of climate change. The uncertainties inherent to climate change effects can be diminished by conducting research, assessing risks, and linking results to forest policy, planning and decision making. Report available here.