Zambezi River Basin

Foreword

Since the basin is the most shared within the SADC region, the Zambezi River Basin Atlas of the Changing Environment provides a foundation for assessing trend analysis of water resources and environmental issues at a basin level. By providing such analysis the Atlas fulfils two of the objectives of the SADC Regional Water Strategy under data and information acquisition and management which compel the region to: • Provide sustainable water resources data and information systems at national, transboundary and basin levels to meet the needs for effective planning and management of water resources; and • Improve access to data and information for all stakeholders. I am delighted that the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) established under the Revised SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses, has come into force as this can unlock many opportunities for implementation of development projects including adaptation strategies to climate change. The prime objective of the ZAMCOM Agreement is “to promote the equitable and reasonable utilization of the water resources of the Zambezi watercourse as well as the efficient management and sustainable development thereof.”The Atlas will therefore provide foundation information for the achievement of this objective. It also provides a basis for implementation of the Zambezi Basin Integrated Water Strategy formulated in 2008 as part of the ZAMCOM agreement. This Atlas comes at a time when issues of water resources and climate change are very critical, requiring sustainable solutions. While our region is characterised by variability of water resources, both in time and space, this is exacerbated by threats posed by the global climate change that renders our available water resources to be stressed as a result of overall changes in the timing and extent of precipitation. Climate change is causing more intense and frequent extreme events such as droughts and floods, thus necessitating coordinated management of our shared watercourses. The Zambezi River Basin Atlas of the Changing Environment is expected to raise awareness among stakeholders and to aide policy makers in making informed decisions as it provides convincing visual and scientific evidence of environmental change on which to build. I believe that this well-illustrated Atlas will heighten interest among policy and decision makers and the public in taking positive steps towards sustainable resource utilisation in the Zambezi River Basin.

The Zambezi is Africa’s fourth largest river basin after the Congo, Nile and Niger, and spreads over eight Member States of SADC: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The basin represents the best of what we have in the SADC region in terms of natural capital. Within the basin’s large expanse, there exist many natural resources ranging from water, land and soils, forests and wildlife, and the minerals that are plentiful under the soil. These define our economic activities including, agriculture, forestry, mining, manufacturing and tourism. As these resources are under threat from environmental and climate change we need to find strategies to sustain and protect these resources to meet the needs of current and future generations, as well as replenishing the needs of the natural environment. Access to knowledge is a valuable strategic resource that helps to define and support meaningful strategies to address the threats from environmental changes. As stated by world leaders in their declaration 20 years ago at the Earth Summit in Brazil (Agenda 21), the acquisition and provision of timely, effective information on the state of our natural resources is an important factor to the attainment of sustainable natural resources management. We therefore welcome the production of the Zambezi River Basin Atlas of the Changing Environment, the first of its kind in the Zambezi River Basin and in southern Africa. The Atlas captures environmental changes graphically and pictorially, providing striking and undisputable evidence that can be used as a basis for intervention at local, national and regional levels. Publication of this Atlas is based on the principle that information is key to transformation and that informed action is rooted in the use of sound knowledge. By indicating changes in the basin in an accessible format, this publication provides a basis and a stimulus for taking action at all levels. The Atlas is anchored in the SADC policy frameworks endorsed by the eight riparian states of the Zambezi River Basin. These include the Revised SADC Protocol on SharedWatercourses which fosters close cooperation for judicious, sustainable and coordinated management, protection and utilisation of shared watercourses, and advances the SADC agenda of regional integration and poverty reduction. The SADC Regional Water Policy highlights various opportunities for water management to achieve the SADC goals and objectives; and the SADC Regional Water Strategy promotes the adoption of a basin- wide approach for planning, development and management of water resources.

ii