UCPP WATER GOVERNANCE PERSPECTIVE

INTEGRATED CATCHMENT

MANAGEMENT

R27 million water production / year

2

MZIMVUBU: UPPER SYSTEM MAIN TRIBUTARIES • KINIRA

• SEETA

• LEBELLE

• MZIMVUBU

Wattle

infestation

Soil damage & erosion

Mzimvubu River Mouth: exporting our topsoil!

LEGISLATIVE MANDATE

Section 2 and 3 of the NWA, indicates the purposes of the Act as the promotion of equitable access to water, provision for growing demand for water use in the public interest, and facilitate social and economic development.

This is particularly apparent in terms of the potential roles, relationships and functioning of the various institutions and stakeholders

involved or interested in water resources management (WRM).

• The NWRS-2 supports the National Water Act (NWA) for the establishment and transformation of institutions to assist DWA in giving effects to its core mandate – regulation of water use and water services, while ensuring the development, protection, conservation & allocation of water resources.

• Chapter 8 of NWRS-2 supports the establishment of Catchment Management Forums (CMFs) to promote, improve and strengthen a value-driven and integrated approach to water resources

management at local water management areas – although CMFs are non-statutory.

Why CMFs? • A catchment-based

approach to managing the water environment looks at activities and issues in the catchment as a whole, rather than considering different aspects separately in different locations.

• Crucially, this approach involves bringing people together from different sectors to identify issues and agree priorities for action – and ultimately building local partnerships to put these actions in place.

- DWS CATCHForums guide March2015

Ecological infrastructure

Goods & services

Livelihoods

CMFs: • voluntary and non-statutory

participatory organizations • representation of

stakeholders, acting as advisor to CMA.

• CMFs can form CMCs Responsibilities include: -dissemination of information to

the public regarding water resources management

-lobbying on behalf of members to the DWS for monitoring water resources.

-Key to success is a champion or driver of the process and the accessibility of venues for meeting.

UCPP is

a voluntary alliance, collaborating

through a simple MoU with 20 year vision and 5 year

strategy

UCPP MISSION

Demonstrate and foster improved catchment stewardship on a sustainable basis, as a means for securing biodiversity and healthy ecosystem functions, which underpin livelihoods, boost resilience to climate change impacts and fortify SA’s transition towards a Green Economy

RESTORE GOVERNANCE TO

RESTORE LANDSCAPE

GOOD STEWARDSHIP

HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM & GRASSLAND

MORE PRODUCTIVE

LIVESTOCK

RED MEAT RETURNS

LIVELIHOOD & LANDSCAPE

IMPROVEMENTS

WAGES & TRAINING

LIVESTOCK HEALTH &

MARKET ACCESS

COMMUNITY MOBILISATION

RESEARCH & BEST

PRACTICE

WHAT DOES UCPP DO?

• Quarterly meetings with themes related to catchment restoration and livelihoods

• Link stakeholders for more effective collaboration e.g. training, proposals, NRM programmes, etc

• Host exchange learnings

• Advisory to Council Lobby committee – water factory

• Research group linking partners’ needs with institutions’ skills

• Promote awareness around pertinent topics

• Collective voice for catchment

18

TO DON THE CMF CAPE...OR NOT?

BENEFITS

• DWS views UCPP as a CMF – opportunity to influence ground-up representative forums rather than institutionally built

• Policy influence NWRM2 gives mandate

DRAWBACKS

• compromise freedom and autonomy

• political pressure on taking stance and activism

• CMA-focus may reduce integrated catchment approach

POSSIBLE OPTIONS • UCPP ‘off-shoot’ play active

role in formation of geographically logical CMFs for uMzimvubu catchment

• Support an increase in CMF representation & capacity

• UCPP could operate as / champion ‘uMzimvubu CMC’ representing these CMFs on CMA alongside other CMCs

THE ROLE OF EMERGENT CATCHMENT ALLIANCES

uMZIMVUBU – Tsitsikamma

CMA

uMzimvubu CMC

Upper / Matatiele

CMF

Central and Pondoland coast CMF

Central Kei CMC

CMF

Western Vubu CMF

CMF

Let us view sustainability as an emergent

property of stakeholder interaction, and not just a technical property of the

ecosystem