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Foreword
Since the basin is the most shared within the SADC region,
the Zambezi River Basin Atlas of the Changing Environment
provides a foundation for assessing trend analysis of water
resources and environmental issues at a basin level. By
providing such analysis the Atlas fulfils two of the objectives of
the SADC Regional Water Strategy under data and information
acquisition and management which compel the region to:
• Provide sustainable water resources data and information
systems at national, transboundary and basin levels to
meet the needs for effective planning and management of
water resources; and
• Improve access to data and information for all stakeholders.
I am delighted that the Zambezi Watercourse Commission
(ZAMCOM) established under the Revised SADC Protocol on
Shared Watercourses, has come into force as this can unlock
many opportunities for implementation of development
projects including adaptation strategies to climate change.
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
the efficient management and sustainable development
thereof.”The Atlas will therefore provide foundation
information for the achievement of this objective. It also
provides a basis for implementation of the Zambezi Basin
Integrated Water Strategy formulated in 2008 as part of the
ZAMCOM agreement.
This Atlas comes at a time when issues of water resources
and climate change are very critical, requiring sustainable
solutions. While our region is characterised by variability of
water resources, both in time and space, this is exacerbated by
threats posed by the global climate change that renders our
available water resources to be stressed as a result of overall
changes in the timing and extent of precipitation. Climate
change is causing more intense and frequent extreme events
such as droughts and floods, thus necessitating coordinated
management of our shared watercourses.
The Zambezi River Basin Atlas of the Changing Environment
is expected to raise awareness among stakeholders and to
aide policy makers in making informed decisions as it provides
convincing visual and scientific evidence of environmental
change on which to build.
I believe that this well-illustrated Atlas will heighten interest
among policy and decision makers and the public in taking
positive steps towards sustainable resource utilisation in the
Zambezi River Basin.
The Zambezi is Africa’s fourth largest river basin after the
Congo, Nile and Niger, and spreads over eight Member States
of SADC: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia,
United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The basin
represents the best of what we have in the SADC region in
terms of natural capital. Within the basin’s large expanse, there
exist many natural resources ranging from water, land and
soils, forests and wildlife, and the minerals that are plentiful
under the soil. These define our economic activities including,
agriculture, forestry, mining, manufacturing and tourism. As
these resources are under threat from environmental and
climate change we need to find strategies to sustain and
protect these resources to meet the needs of current and
future generations, as well as replenishing the needs of the
natural environment.
Access to knowledge is a valuable strategic resource that
helps to define and support meaningful strategies to address
the threats from environmental changes. As stated by world
leaders in their declaration 20 years ago at the Earth Summit
in Brazil (Agenda 21), the acquisition and provision of timely,
effective information on the state of our natural resources is
an important factor to the attainment of sustainable natural
resources management.
We therefore welcome the production of the Zambezi River
Basin Atlas of the Changing Environment, the first of its kind
in the Zambezi River Basin and in southern Africa. The Atlas
captures environmental changes graphically and pictorially,
providing striking and undisputable evidence that can be used
as a basis for intervention at local, national and regional levels.
Publication of this Atlas is based on the principle that
information is key to transformation and that informed
action is rooted in the use of sound knowledge. By indicating
changes in the basin in an accessible format, this publication
provides a basis and a stimulus for taking action at all levels.
The Atlas is anchored in the SADC policy frameworks endorsed
by the eight riparian states of the Zambezi River Basin. These
include the Revised SADC Protocol on SharedWatercourses
which fosters close cooperation for judicious, sustainable and
coordinated management, protection and utilisation of shared
watercourses, and advances the SADC agenda of regional
integration and poverty reduction. The SADC Regional Water
Policy highlights various opportunities for water management
to achieve the SADC goals and objectives; and the SADC
Regional Water Strategy promotes the adoption of a basin-
wide approach for planning, development and management
of water resources.