|
Abstract:
|
The Elephant Marsh, a wetland in Southern Malawi, is important for
(a) fishing,
(b) agriculture,
(c) hunting and
(d) collection of natural resources for the livelihoods of local communities.
However, there has been increasing pressure driven by a changing
climate, population growth, rural poverty and agricultural conversion, all of which threaten the future of the wetland.
Currently, Malawi does not have either a national wetland policy or a climate change policy and wetland issues are only marginally present in the National Parks and Wildlife Policy of 2000 and National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy of 2001. As a result, the country lacks a framework that could be strong enough to achieve balanced and sustainable wetland management for multiple resource users.
The objective of this study was to establish the development potentials of Elephant Marsh from an ecosystem-based perspective. It was revealed that there are development potentials in fisheries, recession agriculture, biomass for energy, conservation and tourism. This paper emphasizes that as these opportunities are developed, there will be the need to strengthen management institutions at local and national levels, and the coordination between the two.
The specific purpose of this paper is to analyze the ecosystem-based potentials of the marsh as one way of assisting local communities in sustainably exploiting goods and services from the Elephant Marsh. Local communities have been engaging themselves in initiatives for wetland protection such as restoration of river banks thereby demonstrating their awareness of the value of the wetland. As such, an overview of the opportunities that lie at the Elephant Marsh is important for any balanced
development planning of the area. The second specific purpose of the paper is to highlight existing local institutions pertaining to the management of the marsh. In order to avoid overexploitation, future development options will have to be efficient and effective. There is a need to build on local institutions; for example, as partners in co-management arrangements. |