Fisheries: Latest Data

Fisheries and aquaculture are being viewed with receiving increasing attention, not only because they represent an important source of livelihoods and food, but also because of our increasing understanding of aquatic ecosystems. Many fish stocks are currently over exploited, and the international nature of the resources makes them difficult to manage. One wonders whether the current food supply is in danger. The full report is available on: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/fisheries/fisheries-greenfacts.pdf

Policy Positions on Climate Change – Copenhagen and Beyond

The African Biodiversity Network (ABN) believes that genuine solutions to climate change cannot carry unacceptable costs in social and environmental impacts. Too many so-called solutions that are proposed to the climate crises that Africa and the world face, fail to consider the impacts on the farmers, forests, indigenous peoples and food security of Africans. Not only are these impacts wrong in themselves, they often make climate change worse.The ABN believes that civil society, governments, academia and communities have a responsibility to look for holistic solutions that bring advantages to climate, biodiversity and communities. We hope that the world agrees that genuine solutions need not lead to land grabbing, hunger or loss of livelihoods. Genuine solutions can empower communities, enhance and make use of biodiversity, nurture ecosystems, and increase overall resilience to the challenges ahead. See full report on:
http://www.gaiafoundation.org/documents/ABN%20Climate%20Position.pdf

Laws of Botswana Online

The Attorney General's Office of the Republic of Botswana has launched a website on Laws of Botswana up to December 2008. Included on the page are the Laws Index, new legislation which contains tables of Bills Acts and statutory Instruments. For more on this you can visit the website on http://www.laws.gov.bw/

Coping with crisis in Central Africa:enhanced role for non-wood forest products

According to AFDB, the current financial and economic crisis has directly and indirectly affected the drivers of Africa's recent growth performance. Demand for and prices of African commodities are falling, capital flows are declining and promised increased aid has not materialized. Through contagion, the crisis has affected financial markets foreign exchange markets and commodity markets- the last being of particular importance for forest products. In this article, examples from Cameroon and other countries are used to highlight the capacity of non wood forest products to provide employment income and sustenance in times of crisis-given a suitable legal framework to help safeguard local access and prevent resource depletion. This article can be found in the latest issue of Unasylva, (FAO journal of forestry and forest industries) in the HOORC Library.

Water at FAO : updated information note

Water lies at the core of sustainable development and its efficient and equitable management is crucial for human survival. For more than 10 years, FAO has advocated for a better recognition of the role of water in ensuring food for all and eradicating rural poverty, constantly reminding world leaders about the strategic importance of this sector. This newly updated information note provide better understanding about what FAO do. Available on FAO website.

Climate change and population health in Africa: where are the scientists?

Although there has been a growing awareness of Africans’ vulnerability to climate change, there is relatively little empirical evidence published about the effects of climate on population health in Africa. This review brings together some generalised predictions about the potential continent, i.e. the effects of climate change with examples of the relatively few locally documented population studies in which climate change and health interact. Although ecologically determined diseases such as malaria are obvious candidates for susceptibility to climate change, wider health effects also need to be considered, particularly among populations where adequacy of food and water supplies may already be marginal. Full review on :http://www.globalhealthaction.net/index.php/gha/article/view/2065/2504

BIOKAVANGO Community of Practice Luncheon

This month's BIOKAVANGO Community of Practice luncheon was given a brief talk by Mr. Kent Burger on the the ongoing development of the Okavango Delta Information System (ODIS).

The presenter stated that The Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre (HOORC) has participated in the Okavango Delta Management Plan (ODMP) as the custodian of the Okavango Delta Information System (ODIS).
ODIS was envisioned to provide access to key datasets to support sustainable use and management of the Okavango Delta through a map interface and thus stimulate cooperation between stakeholders. It is a collaborative effort between HOORC and government institutions with a stake in the Okavango Delta Ramsar Site (ODRS) as well as some non-governmental and community-based organisations. ODIS stakeholders have been participating in updating and contributing environmental datasets covering the ODRS and Ngamiland District. Furthermore, he mentioned that the original release of ODIS has faced some challenges due to it not being accessible via the Internet. This has hampered the ease through which stakeholders can update their portions of the dataset and contribute new data. Various users from government departments had to be trained first to enable them to use the ODIS application. However, when new users came into those departments, resources were not always available to train them.

In his conclusion, he stated that the expanded vision of ODIS is dependent on the completion of the Okavango Delta Management Plan. Current discussions envision ODIS moving towards the foundation of a knowledge management system that incorporates not only spatial data, but includes a mechanism to catalogue , and develop spatial reference reports and tabular data during the preparation of the ODMP as well as other datasets catalogues by HOORC Library. The evolution of GIS and improvement in connectivity, provides an opportunity for ODIS’s limited GIS functionality to be enhanced. This may be achieved through the use of GIS server technology which will potentially allow HOORC’s current GIS Analysts and Technicians to serve datasets, custom maps, simple models and applications to users with limited, or no knowledge of the GIS technology utilized to produce and maintain these information products. This capability potentially opens up through a browser interface the wealth of spatially referenced data about the Okavango Delta to a broad audience that previously required users to receive training in the early version of the ODIS application.

New at HOORC's Library: conserving and valuing ecosystem services and biodiversity

This book is a collection of chapters addressing the economic, institutional and social challenges confronting scientists and policy makers in conserving biodiversity and ecosystem critical for sustaining human well being and development. The book covers a wide range of themes and issues such as economics and valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, social aspects of conservation governance and protection of indigenous knowledge , climate change amongst others. Most of the chapters are products of ongoing or completed larger research projects sponsored by several national and international agencies like the World Bank, the International Food Policy Research Institute , GTZ and the International institute for Environment and Development and others. You can find the book at HOORC Library.

Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award

The Indigenous Tourism and Biodiversity Website Award is a collaborative effort between Planeta and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity/UNEP with the generous support of the Heidehof Foundation. The award is presented to indigenous tourism operations for their websites that promotes sustainable practices and educates visitors on cultural protocols and biodiversity conservation.The award is aimed at private tourism services, owned and operated by indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles, and its main objectives are to motivate candidates to improve their online communication on biological and cultural diversity, to highlight their best practices in managing tourism in a biodiversity-friendly way and to raise operators and public’s awareness on biodiversity. Visit
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awardsitbw.html

Safe Water as the Key to Global Health

The report presents statistics which highlight the consequences for communities in developing countries as a result of non-provision of these very fundamental human needs. Lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, particularly amongst children. Indirect and adverse consequences on education levels, nutrition and economy are also documented .More recently, the benefits of water and sanitation provision have also been quantified. This measurement can be made in terms of improved well-being of people and communities, reduction in public health costs, and catalysis for local economic growth. Such benefits accrue in perpetuity and can potentially lift communities out of poverty and misery. This report explores why that is the case and how we can change the situation. Full paper :http://www.inweh.unu.edu/documents/SafeWater_Web_version.pdf

Climate Change in Africa

This book outlines current thinking and evidence on climate change, uses case studies to look at issues ranging from natural disasters to biofuels, and addresses what future there might be for Africa in a carbon-constrained world. Climate change is a major challenge for us all, but for African countries it represents a particular threat. This book outlines current thinking and evidence and the impact such change will have on Africa's development prospects. Global warming above the level of two degrees Celsius would be enormously damaging for poorer parts of the world, leading to crises with crops, livestock, water supplies and coastal areas. Within Africa, it's likely to be the continent's poorest people who are hit hardest. In this accessible and authoritative introduction to an often-overlooked aspect of the environment, Camilla Toulmin uses case studies to look at issues ranging from natural disasters to biofuels, and from conflict to the oil industry. Finally, the book addresses what future there might be for Africa in a carbon-constrained world. Full report : http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/G02579.pdf

Assessing Progress in Africa towards the Millennium Development Goals

This Report presents a picture that is slightly at variance with many other reports on Africa’s progress towards the targets of the MDGs. It shows that progress is being made in a number of areas such as primary enrolment, gender parity in primary education, malaria deaths, and representation of women in parliaments. If this rate of progress continues, the continent will be on course to meet a significant number of the MDGs by the target date. This will still be disappointing since the objective is to reach all the targets by 2015. Furthermore, the report shows that a critical area for progress is the health-related MDGs where progress is slowest. Interventions to accelerate progress on the health MDGs will yield significant dividend. In sum, the preconditions for accelerating progress to meet the targets of the MDGs are now largely in place, albeit constrained by inadequate resource flows and capacity in some critical areas like health capacity. http://www.uneca.org/eca_programmes/acgd/docs/Assessing%20MDGs_Report%202008.pdf

The Spread of New Diseases and the Climate Connection

As humans increasingly encroach on forested lands and as temperatures rise, the transmission of disease from animals and insects to people is growing. Now a new field, known as “conservation medicine,” is exploring how ecosystem disturbance and changing interactions between wildlife and humans can lead to the spread of new pathogens. See http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2199

Negotiating Natural Resources for Peace: Ownership, Control and Wealth-Sharing

Natural resources (such as oil, natural gas, diamonds, minerals, forests and water) are often a major source of national income, and are also a major cause of conflict and instability if mismanaged or shared unfairly. Countries with weak institutions often struggle to handle the potentially destructive force of corruption and attempts by various actors to capture the wealth generated by natural resources. The governance of natural resources is especially important in the context of divided societies because control over the benefits from local natural resources is often a chief motivator of ethnic or identity-based conflicts. In this report the authors argue that this trend makes it important to broaden knowledge and understanding of governing arrangements for natural-resources, a subject which has not traditionally received extensive treatment in constitutions and peace agreements. Available on: http://www.hdcentre.org/files/Negotiating%20natural%20resources%20for%20peace.pdf

Arsenic in groundwater

The International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC) has published Arsenic in Groundwater: A World Problem, the report of a seminar held in Utrecht in 2006. The publication includes sections about sources and distribution of arsenic in groundwater and aquifers, geochemical experimentation and modelling tools for understanding the origin of arsenic in groundwater, a review of arsenic behaviour from groundwater and soil to crops and potential impacts on agriculture and food supply, and health effects of inorganic arsenic. You can find the full text of the publication online.

Two new reports about eflow methodology

EFlowNet recently featured two new World Bank reports that focus on address a fundamental shortcoming in most water resources investments, planning and policy reforms to date, particularly, the inadequate protection of environmental flow conditions in rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries and groundwater systems. You can download the full text of Environmental flows in water resources policies, plans and projects: findings and recommendations and Environmental flows in water resources policies, plans and projects: case studies from the World Bank site.

Giant crack in Africa may create a new ocean - LiveScience- msnbc.com

Anybody else worried about this 35mile wide crack in Ethiopia? I definitely am....

Giant crack in Africa may create a new ocean - LiveScience- msnbc.com

Community management of natural resources in Africa: Impacts, experiences and future directions

For more than twenty years now, community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has been viewed in many different parts of Africa as a strategy for rural development, local empowerment, and conservation. Led by new ideas about the merits of decentralized, collective resource governance regimes, and creative field experiments such as Zimbabwe’s CAMPFIRE, these community-based approaches evolved in a wide range of ecological, political, and social contexts across Africa. This review provides an unprecedented pan-African synthesis of CBNRM, drawing on multiple authors and a wide range of documented experiences from Southern, Eastern, Western and Central Africa. The review discusses the degree to which CBNRM has met poverty alleviation, economic development and nature conservation objectives. In its concluding chapter, the report suggests a way forward for strengthening CBNRM and addressing key challenges in the years ahead. See:http://www.iied.org/pubs/pdfs/17503IIED.pdf

The impact of South African supermarkets on agricultural development in the SADC: a case study in Zambia, Namibia and Botswana

To assess the impact of supermarket chains on various participants in the supply chain, a survey was carried out in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia in 2004, 2005 and 2007. To determine the factors that influence the choice between the supermarket or traditional market channel and the impact of participation in the supermarket supply chain, a two-step treatment model was used. The results showed that over 80% of all processed food products in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia were imported from South Africa, and that supermarkets used a mixture of procurement systems for fresh fruit and vegetables and processed food products. Participation in the supermarkets channel had a positive impact on small-scale farmers’ incomes. The expansion of South African supermarkets into the SADC countries may be beneficial to small-scale farmers and therefore efforts should be made to incorporate them into the supermarkets’ fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain.” Report available at:http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/49289/2/5.%20Emongor%20&%20Kirsten.pdf

Water as an an increasingly precious resource and sanitation as a matter of dignity

Half the population of the developing world still lives without basic sanitation and almost 900 million people lack safe and reliable water supplies. DFID’s new water policy has been adopted by the UK as response to these challenges. It sets out the steps to be followed if the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on water and sanitation are to be met. It describes how it aims to help countries manage their water resources better – in ways that boost economic growth, avoid conflict and face up to the demands of climate change. And in the International Year of Sanitation, it highlights the need for particular efforts in that area. For more on the report visit: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications/water-sanitation-policy-08.pdf

World Forestry Congress 2009

At the XIII World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires (18-23 October 2009), delegates called for the broadest possible coalition to address the many challenges the forestry sector is facing. A final declaration, adopted by the Congress, called for immediate “multi-sector responses” to rapid global changes. “Today, the major pressures on forests are arising from outside the forest sector, such as changes in global climates, economic conditions, and population. These changes are creating impacts across multiple sectors. For example, population growth and migration to cities is creating environmental pressures on forests and farm lands. These changes are occurring more rapidly than they did in the past, creating more uncertainty and larger fluctuations - global economic changes and fuel demands and supplies are examples.The path forward lies in shifting to an integrated landscape approach for confronting these changes, working with partners outside the forest sector to develop sustainable multi-sector responses. The accelerating rate and the dimension of changes in economic, social, and environmental conditions require immediate action. For more visit the FAO site.

World Bank Group Environment Strategy

The World Bank Group (WBG) is preparing a new Environment Strategy to be presented to the Board of Executive Directors by December 2010. The new Strategy will propose an approach for achieving environmental sustainability at the WBG to ensure that its support to client countries leads to sustainable development outcomes. The WBG has made progress as an advocate for the environment since 1990, has not reached the level of full environmental sustainability to which it aspires. It is for this reason that it is updating the current Strategy, along with IFC and MIGA as active partners, and inviting people to share their insights and knowledge. The Group is also undertaking inclusive and transparent consultations with all WBG stakeholder groups, including governments, the private sector, civil society and representatives of vulnerable communities. For more on this , you can visit www.worldbank.org/environmentconsultations.

Okavango river basin study at GEF International Waters Conference

Angolans contributing to TDA study, courtesy of Chaminda Rajapakse

A delegation from the Permanent Okavango River Basin Commission (OKACOM) has just returned from the Global Environment Facility’s Fifth International Waters Conference in Cairns, Australia from October 24-29, 2009. There, the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Management of the Okavango River Basin (EPSMO) Project team presented initial findings of the GEF-funded Okavango River Basin Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis study that will support development of a strategic action plan for the Basin. The study, with contributions from researchers in the three riparian countries of Angola, Botswana and Namibia, used innovative environmental flows and scenario building methodology to look at how possible developments could affect the still largely undeveloped basin. The report should be publically issued by OKACOM early next year.