Stephanie Midgley: Integrating local and indigenous knowledge into river basin management for effective climate change adaptation

Integrating local and indigenous knowledge into river basin management for effective

climate change adaptation

Bonty Botumile, James Cumming, Sabrina Chesterman, Stephanie Midgley

10 March 2011AfricaAdapt Conference, Addis Ababa

Outline• What is RCCP?• Vulnerable transboundary regions• Scales: from transboundary river basin to

communities• Objectives of research• Methodology and early results• Lessons learned• Challenges• Way forward

What is the RCCP?

Purpose: To enable transboundary adaptation to climate

change, with equitable access to climate funding, in Southern Africa

Implemented by OneWorld Sustainable Investments

Vulnerable transboundary regions

Zambezi River Basin

Okavango River Basin

Malawi and surrounds

Lower Limpopo River Basin

Scales: from transboundary river basin to communities

• Why Okavango Basin• Interactive Framework - that allows

communities to modify and customise• Giving communities a voice and platform

Okavango River Basin

Objectives

• Gather IK from custodians• Validate findings• Integrate with science• Inform RCCP transboundary adaptation

responses• Replicable and transferable methodologies

and lessons

Methodology

• Study sites• Tools: storytelling, interviews, surveys,

shadowing, focus groups, seasonal calendars, traditional festivals etc

Methodology

• Questions: key focus on water– Sources: surface water, groundwater, rainfall– Perceptions and forecasting– Coping mechanisms– Natural resource protection, harvesting and storage– Livelihoods– Knowledge dissemination

• Gender/youth

Lessons learned

• Tap into existing structures e.g. OKACOM, Basin Wide Forum, Okavango Research Institute

• Hidden vulnerability• Social complexities• Validation / triangulation

Challenges

• Managing Expectations• Handout Mentality• Sample Representivity- Is it reflective of basin

issues• Scaling it up to basin level in line with our

vision (given politics, institutions)• Time and Patience consuming

Way Forward

• Keep research contextualised• Validation of IK• Information Dissemination • Participatory Adaptation Strategy• Engaging with OKACOM on integrating IK,

science, institutions to keep it sustainable

Thank you

www.rccp.org.za

ILKP: tharientsho@gmail.com

RCCP: stephanie@oneworldgroup.co.za