Here today, gone tommorrow…

Give a man a fish and he will go hungry, but teach him how to fish, he will fish until the fish is finished and he is hungry again; this is how the saying is now going. As human population increases, so does the pressure on the natural resources people depend on. Luangwa Boma (formerly Feira) in eastern Zambia is the focal settlement where two of southern Africa’s biggest rivers meet - the Zambezi river from the west, and the Luangwa from the north, to then flow eastwards through Cabora Bassa reservoir in Mozambique and eventually pours its waters into the Indian Ocean at the Maromeu Delta complex.

A hive of activity, the place populary known as Feira (Trading area in Portuguese) is also where Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe share a common boarder and natural resources. In recent years, the area has been commonly referred to as the Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia Trans-boundary Natural Resources Management Area (ZiMoZa TBNRMA), in recognition of the area’s abundant wildlife and human populations that are so interconnected. Through the years, people have flocked to the area in search of money in the form of fish traders and others to become fishermen. This influx of both traders and fishermen has put a strain on the river, resulting in an increased trend of depleted fish stocks.

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), an organisation that champions the conservation of natural resources and wildlife on the African continent and local community livelihood improvement, with support from the Southern Africa Trust, has embarked on a challenging but exciting project to involve the communities of these three countries into natural resource management programmes with the aim of conserving biodiversity and ensuring viability through sustainable use of natural resources.

Charles Akashambatwa, Community Conservation Officer with the AWF says “We have been doing a lot of sensitisations in the community and so far it has not been a difficult task because the community themselves are witnessing the depletion of the fish and are more than ready to engage in sustainable fishing practices that will ensure they have fish for years to come.”

Because of the decline in fish catches in the Luangwa river, the fishermen from Zambia have moved downstream towards the Cabora Bassa reservoir in Mozambique where the fish is still abundant. Traders like wise, have also set up regular fish buying camps closer to the fishermen in Mozambique.

Joan Musonda, a fish trader from Lusaka says, “Because the fish has become scarce, we sometimes have to stay for up to 3 months just so that we can make a bundle of fish”. Musonda futher says this puts a lot of strain on family life as they spend a lot of time away from their families. She says in some cases this has exacerbated HIV as some traders and fishermen who are not able to contain their desires engage in sexual activities.

In another fishing village, Rabbecca Miti also a fish trader, says “A lot of women come from Lusaka and entice the fishermen with sexual favours in exchange for fish. It is very embarrasing what these women do as some of them are people we know, but there is nothing we can do or say. Here, its each one for him/herself and knowing what you came for.”

Clearly, in a bid to survive, HIV/Aids is not a matter of concern as one trader put it, “It has come for people and all of us will die one day”.

AWF in collaboration with the fisheries departments from ZiMoZa are sensitising the fishermen on the need to use bigger net mesh sizes so as to catch fish that have matured and not in their immature stages.

Isaac Chupila a fisherman, says “The government through the fisheries department has restricted the use of two inch or less nets because these have small holes and catch even the baby fish so the fish cannot reproduce.” He however adds that some fishermen go out in the night to fish when the fisheries department are not patrolling and use small size nets.

Cephas Banda, another fisherman, says they do this because they do not catch enough fish when they use the big mesh size nets and they are under pressure to feed their families.

Jimmiel Mandima, Director of AWF’s Zambezi Heartland says their sensitisation, working with cooperating partners, such as the governments goes beyond just telling the fishermen about unsustainable fishing practices but also explore other alternative livelihood strategies or income generating activities during the closed season when fish are breeding.

“We go a step further to encourage the fishermen to undertake other income generating ventures such as beekeeping during the fish breeding season so that they are not forced to go and fish illegally when under pressure from home.”

The biggest challenge faced by both AWF and the governments of the three countries is the difference in laws that govern the fisheries and other aquatic resources. For example, there is a fish ban period on the Zambezi river from November to February annually on the Zambian side but right across on the Zimbabwean and Mozambican sides, there is no such law. Furthermore, the Mozambican government insists on closed areas where fishing is not allowed, but this is not done in other countries, while in Zimbabwe government does not allow commercial fishing at all with only sport fishing being permitted. These differences in laws for a common and shared natural resource pose a big challenge to those with the mandate of managing utilization of the resource.

It is a challenge that the AWF is faced with but are addressing head on, in the spirit of the ZiMoZa shared vision where the locals consider themselves as one and even speak a common language and use a common currency, the Zambian Kwacha in their trading transactions. AWF also sees interventions to deal with these shared resources management issues and community participation  as a way to practically demonstrate and implement provisions of the SADC Protocols on Fisheries and Shared Watercourses, among others.

The SADC protocols on Fisheries and Shared Watercourses is aimed at promoting responsible and sustainable use of the living aquatic resources and aquatic ecosystems of interest to the SADC states in order to promote and enhance food security and human health; safeguard the livelihood of fishing communities; generate economic opportunities for nationals in the region; ensure that future generations benefit from these renewable resources; and alleviate poverty with the ultimate objective of its eradication.

“We need to sit down and talk and see how we can do things together for the good of our countries and our people that share one ‘border region – ZiMoZa”, says the Luangwa District Administrator. He adds, “AWF has been talking to authorities in the three countries and through their research and community work, they can present to us recommendations for best practice management of this resource for the benefit of everyone.

Project Summary (Support from the Trust)
Project Title: Piloting community involvement in defining and applying SADC protocols for Natural Resources.

AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION (AWF)
AWF works to ensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africa will endure forever.
Partner Organisations:
None
Countries Involved:
Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia.
Problem Statement:
Lack of enabling environment and community involvement in sustainable management of shared natural resources in the region.
Aim:
Promote community involvement in development and implementation of SADC protocols for shared natural resources, with a particular focus on shared fisheries resources.
Summary of Project:
Participatory analysis of existing Community Resource Monitoring System (CRMS) and legal frameworks for shared fisheries resources, develop, discuss and adapt a CRMS protocol for shared fisheries resources along the Zambezi river basin and disseminate information on the CRMS protocol as well on the participatory process.
Expected Outcome/Impact:
Communities have more control over their fisheries resources and manage the resources in a manner that optimizes sustainable yields – Regional policy makers acknowledge importance of involving communities in developing and implementing policies for shared natural resources – Awareness of the role of Natural Resource in poverty reduction increased at all levels.
Beneficiaries/Target Group/s:
Fishery communities along the Zambezi – Regional government fishery officials – Regional stakeholders involved in management of shared natural resources.
Trust Funding:
USD 80, 000.00
Grant Duration:
12 months from April 06
Trust Change Objective:
SCO 2.1

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