Discussion Session 1.4: The Scientific Perspective on Ecosystem Based Approaches used across the Continent

Scientific Perspective

• What does the science tell us about ecosystem based approaches? – An Ecosystem based approach (as endorsed by the

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA, 2005):

“is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way which helps to reach a balance of the three key aspects: conservation; sustainable use; and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of natural resources”

• This approach revolves around equitably increasing productivity while maintaining environmental integrity (Sustainable intensification)

Taking Stock

• Which ES services to address and what are the ecosystem-based approaches used in countries?

In the context of Africa’s endemic food shortage the key prominent ES services are related to provisioning for food, feed, fiber and fuel; however, considering Africa’s vulnerability to the vagaries of climate change: both regulating and supporting services such as flood control or soil erosion remain critical.

• What are other examples of the ecosystem approaches in use? - In the Volta Basin, the Water, Land and Ecosystems Program is engaged with partners in pursuing

climate-smart approaches for example Riparian buffer zones, participatory community engagement and work on sustainable management of water and land resources

- Concerted efforts in Africa to embrace the green growth concept. E.g. Kenya and other E. African countries including a major development sponsor (AfDB)

- South Africa: Integrated water resources policy that accounts for eco-foot prints- Mali: Integrated Regional Information Network. 2004. “Mali: Government imposes 6-month ban on

tree felling.”- Tunisia and Libya: Concerted management of desert margins to meet pressing food demands

through irrigated wheat and large scale land acquisitions (What implications do these have?)

Limitations in the use of ecosystem approaches

• What do we know of the scientific bases of this ecosystem based approach

- Hinged in resource sustainability: Use resources in moderation: meeting todays needs; keeping in mind for tomorrows demands

- ES services will require an integrated holistic approach (intrinsically ES services are inter-twined in nature)

• What are the scientific limitations- Lack of community participation in NRM (Co-creation of knowledge)- Limited integration across scientific disciplines

• What are the current limitations in their use in their respective places?

- Biggest limitation is weak human and institutional capacity- Limited technical strength in local government bodies and unfavorable centralized institutional

structures and land tenure.

- Lack of inter-sectoral linkages and collaboration

Priorities

• What should be the current scientific research priorities?

• The major focus here is to get poor rural people out of poverty and make them food secure. Can this be achieved through research? Yes, if….

- Targeted research on integrated crop-livestock-aquaculture systems- Improve institutional, policy and socio-economic linkages (weakest link)

o Appropriate governance for food security and agricultural developmento Invest in scaling up as a route to rapid successo Participatory engagement to ensure successful adoption & implementation

- Emphasis has to be paid to climate-smart agro-ecological research and development: builds small scale adaptive capacity

- Visionary political leadership must deliver on the above research agenda at international, regional, national and local scales

Discussion Questions

• What does the science tell us about those approaches? This will allow matching local knowledge of use of these practices, with their scientific basis where applicable.

• What are other examples of the ecosystem approaches in use?

• What are the current limitations in their use in their respective places?

• What do we know of the scientific basis of some of the ecosystem-based approaches?

• What are some scientific limitations of the ecosystem-based approaches?

• What should be the current scientific research priorities?