Project Detail

Wetlands Inventory for the Chobe, Linyanti and Kwando Wetlands: International Waters and Developing Good Governance for Shared Resources

Centre for African Resorces: Animals, Communities and Land Use (CARACAL) aims at utilising the ecosystem approach and partipatory techniques including GIS to identify key resources essential to community livelihoods with emphasis on gender specific issues and to identify needs, opportunities and threats to these resources in the international waterways of Chobe, Linyanti and Kwando. The involvement of communities through participatory techniques and engagement of other stakeholders through a proactive forum will provide the basis for a wetland inventory leading to the development of an integrated wetland plan for Chobe, Linyanti and Kwando Wetlands in Northern Botswana. The wetlands inventory will promote greater ownership and resource access for the communities in the Chobe, Linyanti and Kwando system.

Loading map...

Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Centre for Conservation of African Animals, Communities and Land Use

Country:

Botswana

Area Of Work:

International Waters

Operational Phase:

Phase 3

Grant Amount:

US$ 50,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 204,632.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 10,000.00

Project Number:

BOT/OP3/2/06/20

Start Date:

11/2006

End Date:

7/2009

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Linkages gef projects

None.

Project sustainability

Project outputs identify sustainability in that each community has received copies of maps and transparencies which will allow them to discuss and negotiate land use and development in their area. This output is key to empowering communities to control and navigate transformation of their natural resources and ensure that these developments and changes do not undermine rural livelihoods. CARACAL is a local NGO in the project area with a long-term presence in the study area and and continues to work with local communities in a variety of areas. The NGO will retain the data and maps and continue to provide support to communities regarding land use and development in the region, which entail discussion of community needs and planning. Additionally, the project maps have been given to Land Board and the District Land Use Planning Unit (DLUPU) such that further developments in community areas will be informed by present community use.

Policy Influence

Project outputs will be given to the Chobe Land Board, Minstry of Lands and other stakeholders to inform land using planning activities and ensure that communities resource requirements are considered in land allocation and use.

Gender Focus

The grantee has a program portfolio directed at securing gender specific rural livelihood information in the area of natural resource conflicts. This project will engage gender specific approaches in consultation (e.g. focus groups and other modalities).

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

The project identifies as the cornerstone of the approach the needs of communities in resource management to secure sustainable livelihoods in an international waters environment. Through participatory mapping and information collection, communities will identify both needs and threats to the system and their livelihood requirements. Management recommendations and partnerships with Government will facilitate redress of these threats to wetlands system function and rural livelihoods.

Capacity - Building Component

This project will develop the capacity and knowledge base of communities, Water Affairs, Landboard and DWNP through the inventory and mapping process. Management decision making processes will be launched from a framework of resource knowledge which captures and promotes community co-management and partnerships with Government.

Planning gef grant

We do plan to approach GEF for further funding through the medium size initiative or the strategy level grant mechanism.

Planning non gef grant

We plan to seek additional funding through the Botswana Government.

Replication of project activities

We plan to seek additional funding to replicate and expand the current program to include Lesoma. We will also seek additional funding to assist the communities in developing management plans for the resources that have been identified in this study. This program would also identify means of insuring that these resources, being managed by the community, attained some legal protection, particularily where the resource is spatially limited and discrete. For example, there are burial grounds for the chiefs ? these areas should be identified and protected from any development in accordance with the tradition of the communities.

Project Results

Describe to what extent the objectives of the Agreement were
accomplished:

Goals of the project have been accomplished in full. We decided, however, after
consultation to take the final maps through DLUPU and then to Land Board and
Ministry of Lands Headquarters.

Describe the immediate benefits received by the participants and/or the
recipient communities:

Communities have group identified resource locations of importance to rural
livelihoods and discussed and agreed on the importance of these resources. The
communities have also recognized that this information is a critical tool in
empowering communities to negotiate development tin the areas, which will be
commiserate with the needs of the communities. This work also sets the stage
for further development of management approaches to sustainable use of these
resources.

Describe long-term benefits:

1. Through CARACAL, Chobe communities have identified rand mapped key
resources essential to rural livelihoods in the area. These maps will provide the
tool to long-term sustainable development.
2. Understanding Natural Resource Use in Chobe District and Community
Livelihoods:
Rural Livelihoods in Botswana are strongly shaped by natural resource
opportunities and spatial location. Time budgets for women are particularly
influenced by the density and distribution of resources as for example with fire
wood. Fishing is an important example of natural resource that can be an
important part of household food strategy. Understanding the spatial distribution
and density of such natural resource abstraction points can provide insight into
nature of community dependency and the vulnerability of such a community to
land transformation that is identified as a barrier.

+ View more

Back to search results

Countries

Regions

Project Snapshot

SGP Country office contact

Address