Launch of Stakeholder engagement process to address aquatic resource competition on Lake Victoria

As part of the „Strengthening Aquatic Resource Governance“ (STARGO) project adelphi and its partner organisations in Kampala, Uganda, have launched the Lake Victoria case study in October, which is part of a wider stakeholder engagement process including three ecoregions: Lake Victoria in East Africa, Lake Kariba on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. STARGO is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and aims to strengthen institutional innovations to support livelihood security and reduce conflict in these ecoregions.

Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest fresh water lake, and the largest such lake in Africa. Almost 30 million people from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania depend on the resources of the lake for food and jobs. Participatory management of aquatic resources around Lake Victoria is emerging as a response to the socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by the people of the countries around the lake. As of 2009 the co-management system of the Lake Victoria ecoregion was the world’s largest. adelphi, in collaboration with local partners, is designing and implementing a stakeholder consultation process on the management approaches and challenges for the Lake Victoria ecoregion.

In October, researchers from adelphi, the Department of Biological Sciences, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Department of Makerere University held a week-long series of interviews and meetings with senior regional and national policy makers, donor organisations, members of local government, community based organisations, and community members. A variety of views were gathered on issues of particular importance for these resource managers and users. As a result of this engagement process an advisory group composed of representatives from government, research, the local communities and community-based organisations was formed.

adelphi has developed, together with the WorldFish Centre, methods and tools to improve governance and reduce competition over resources, which are being applied within the STARGO consultation process. Makerere University partners bring extensive field-based experience and established partnerships with key Ugandan stakeholders. Over the next few weeks this advisory group will consult with a wider cross-section of resource users and managers leading up to a workshop to be held in February 2012. At the workshop stakeholders will identify common issues that may be grounds for potential conflict and agree on cooperative actions that could be taken, which will be implemented in 2012-2013.