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Loading ...To enable monitoring and measurements of environmental changes in order to support decision-making and develop shared basin-scale perspectives. Expected result: at transboundary basin scale, implementation of decision-support tools to work jointly towards natural resource and environmental management.
Janique ETIENNE
All Details
Innovative Solution
joint management, decision support, monitoring, social and environmental data
technical
technical, institutional, legal, policy, financial, communication
Ex-ante situation: low priority to environmental protection, increasing human and climatic pressures, few social and environmental data available.
Objective: to enable monitoring and measurements of environmental changes in order to support decision-making and develop shared basin-scale perspectives.
Expected result: at transboundary basin scale, implementation of decision-support tools to work jointly towards natural resource and environmental management.
Implementation phases:
- technical aspects:
- diagnosis of needs for data and information concerning development issues at basin scale
- definition of monitoring indicators and assessment of existing monitoring systems
- identification of existing development impacts and definition of reference situations for indicator development
- establishment of the environmental observatory: studies to optimise the running of existing monitoring systems, network established between different monitoring systems
- institutional aspects:
- Consultations and joint discussions between beneficiaries: basin authority, managers of national sub-basin agencies, governments, NGOs, civil society, private sector and research, basin users, etc.
- Decision to create the environment observatory made by Councils of Ministers in the States concerned
- Implementation of a network of committed partners motivated by mutual interests (possibly including contract-based services) to provide input data to the observatory
- capacity-building / training:
- on EIS (environmental information systems) and GIS (geographical information systems)
- methodological support to improve existing monitoring systems used in partners’ networks
- communication:
- reciprocal, between network partners and the observatory
- also to ensure broad dissemination of the data collected.
- financing:
a. forward-looking discussions on financing the observatory’s operational costs are a precondition for its longer-term viability
Among all transboundary basin authorities
ABV, ABN, OMVS
The initiating players are the basin authorities, which will be the owners of the tools.
The financial partners and the FGEF in particular have a strategic role, in terms of both financing and implementation of the tools, but also because of the FGEF’s methodological experience in this area.
All users of the basin, civil society, private organisations and public authorities, governments and the network of partners involved in exchanging social and environmental data
Support to the implementation of an environmental observatory in the Senegal River valley began in 2000. This project, now completed, produced a computerised tool complying with the BASE SOE-OMVS standard and enabling each thematic network to manage players involved, information handled, information flows between players, processing of the data and resulting activities.
The Niger observatory has been operating since 2006 and has received 1.2 million euros in financial support from the FGEF.
The Volta River authority has also received 1.2 million euros in financial support for the implementation of an observatory on water resources and associated habitats. This project began in 2008.
The solution contributes directly to the target and in particular to the development of “mechanismsto share and verify information on transboundary waters, especially: (i) scientific and social data for the information systems: contributions to an on-line inventory and implementation of an observatory on water”.
As an operational decision-support tool, the observatory is a prior requirement for any joint activity between States and with parties involved in environmental and water management, particularly in the case of engineering construction (where the impacts found after the event are often the reason for creating an observatory).
The observatory also incorporates socio-economic data, which are often omitted in the decision-support tools used by basin authorities.
Finally, implementation on a permanent footing relies on a participatory approach including a network of partners who are aware of the issues relating to the observatory.
In the same way as the collaboration already in place between ABN, ABV and OMVS, all existing and new operational observatories may collaborate in order to share, exchange and disseminate their various experiences.
Given your experience, who would / should be most interested in this Solution and
why? How will it help them?*
Any institution with responsibility for the management of transboundary basins would potentially be interested in a tool of this kind. The proposed methodology and the experience gained by OMVS, ABN and ABV during implementation of the tool will provide many valuable lessons.
In what context do you think this solution could / would work best and why?*
The success of any project of this kind (implementing an environmental observatory) relies above all on the motivations of the various players taking part in its construction. Communication, consultation and information sharing are therefore of fundamental importance.
The system’s long-term sustainability will depend on the means secured for it to operate, even if it is built up from an existing monitoring network. The question of financing is crucial.
What is the minimum investment necessary (in terms of human resources, time, energy, infrastructure, financial resources, political will, etc.) in order to effectively implement this solution?*
The cost of the project to support implementation of an environmental monitoring network for the Senegal River valley amounted to 1.2 million euros, of which 0.6 million euros were contributed by the FGEF and 0.6 million euros by the AfDB.
The cost of the project to support implementation of water resources and associated habitats observatory for the Volta River valley amounted to 2.7 million euros, of which 1.2 million were contributed by the FGEF, 0.92 million by the IUCN and 0.58 million by the States.
The cost of the project to support implementation of an environmental monitoring network for the Niger River valley amounted to 1.2 million euros, contributed by the FGEF as part of a wider 39.95 million euro programme (ABN, MAE, AFD, GEF, AfDB).
What projects/programs inspired this solution?
The precursor was a project to support the implementation of an environmental observatory for the Senegal Rivervalley (launched in 2000).
What organisations / institutions/committees do you think should commit to this solution as a priority?*
Transboundary basin authorities
Which steps have you already taken to secure these commitments?*
The FGEF has committed 3 million euros through 3 projects implemented with the OMVS (now completed), the ABN (ex-post assessment under way) and the ABV (project under way).
Where can people go for more information, help or advice on this solution?*
Details of the contact person* (e.g. name, address, e-mail, or phone number)
Janique ETIENNE, Secrétariat du Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM)
AFD – 5 rue Roland Barthes, 75598 Paris Cedex 12 – France
Phone: +33 1 53 44 35 04
Email: etiennej@afd.fr
Website: www.ffem.fr
Jacob TUMBULTO, Director, Volta Basin Observatory; Alain Hussard, technical assistant
Volta Basin Authority (ABV)
10 BP 13621 OUAGADOUGOU 10 – Burkina Faso
Phone: +226 50 37 60 67
Email: jwtumbulto@gmail.com; a.hussard@abv-volta.org
Website: www.abv-volta.org
Y. Robert DESSOUASSI
– Director, Niger Basin Authority
– Regional Coordinator, Shared Vision Process
Niger Basin Authority (ABN)
B.P: 729 Niamey – Republic of NIGER
Phone: +227 20 31 52 39
Fax:+227 20 73 62 74/20 72 42 08
Mobile phone: +227 93 93 45 57/96 87 28 13/94 95 11 59
Email: dessouassi@abn.ne / dessouassi2003@yahoo.fr
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