Traditions observed and development accepted
By Tsiadino Chaplain TOTO, DLIST ASCLME focal point University of Toamasina
Ambodilaitry, meaning "at the bottom of the cliff", is the selected DLIST ASCLME demonstration site in Madagascar. Located at the tip of Masoala Peninsula, Ambodilaitry is adjacent to one the most sacred places in north-eastern Madagascar. It is also a village in the Antongil Bay region where the marine traditions are mostly respected.
The village is located at the bottom of a big rocky mountain where a very high light house was built in the early French colonial period in Madagascar. The rock is the main support to the mountain descending brutally to the sea. Ambodilaitry is the village closest to the Anjanaharibe site (the place of the Supreme God), a strange rocky protrusion into the sea composed of only hexagonal formed black stones, a traditional sanctuary attracting many people to make wishes and celebrate the fulfilment of their wishes each year.
In the legend of the first settlement of the people in Madagascar, some 2000 years ago, the ancestors of the Antongil Bay people built their first village in this area, construction followed the traditional rules in the land of their ancestors. Where? It is said that they came from an Arabian country…
The community agrees that to sustain their life in this remote and pristine area, the children must have a good education and enough capacity to protect their land and marine resources for the future. The DLIST team assisted the community to develop a plan for their village. It also coordinates and supports the partnership between the Madagascar National Parks, the local community and other partners, to be more efficient. Now, the community has a school, a teacher, a school garden and a clean place where young people in the village can practise sport.
A number of steps in the plan are being implemented. They include maintaining and improving the structure, and developing a socio-economic database to measure the effect of the interventions over time. The students' parents association, the focal organisation on the ground, is being assisted to become fully registered as the owners of the school. Better teachers will be found, through the involvement of all partners, and put in place for the next school year.
Ambodilaitry is progressing slowly, as the country tradition says "moramora", which simply means that in Madagascar, things progress more gradually but hopefully very surely.
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DLIST ASCLME in Kilwa Kisiwani Island, Tanzania
By Rose Sallema Mtui - National Focal Point ASCLME project
The DLIST ASCLME project team visited Kilwa in late June. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1981 (www.unesco.org), Kilwa is one of the least developed coastal areas in all of Tanzania. Kilwa Kisiwani Island was selected as a DLIST demonstration site because of the high biodiversity in the area and its cultural heritage of outstanding universal value.
Before even approaching the selected community to gauge their interest in becoming a demonstration site, the team met with district government authorities and different programs/projects working on the Island such as MACEMP, WWF-RUMAKI and the Antiquities Department, to get an overview of the area. In the village itself, the team met with influential people before a community meeting was held.
Weaknesses, opportunities, a vision for the future and a sustainable use of the natural resources were identified and discussed over a two day period of meetings and interviews. The aim is to help the community to develop a Local Economic Development (LED) Plan. During the community meeting a Planning Committee was selected to ensure close involvement and ownership by the community of the LED Plan.
The demo community was clearly very much concerned with their future livelihood, and that their efforts towards development were dying out. Fishers who are the majority in the community do not accept the idea of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and the Beach Management Unit (BMU) concept. Some just hated the name without knowing its meaning. For example, one fisherman said "BMU means strict prohibition from fishing". Otherwise, the community pinpointed that if they are assisted with small grants and building their capacity in different aspects such as education, etc. then their life will definitely change.
Fishers want to manage and control the resources themselves. They feared that if resources are managed by a Marine Protected Area (MPA) their access will be limited by conservation. They pointed out that initiatives are being imposed on them. They also felt exploited by the Government as they are not benefiting from the ruins and tourism activities related to the heritage. However, the DLIST project approach was appreciated by the community and they promised to cooperate well in developing a good Local Economic Development plan with the DLIST ASCLME team towards building a better future of the village.
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Featured Process: Beach cleanup on Jamo Kenyatta Public Beach
This time our featured process is the regular cleanup of Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach in Kenya. Why? Cleaning up beaches may not be as glamorous as saving rare marine organisms or making new marine protected areas, but it is very necessary for the urban (and even some other) beaches in the WIO region. What is impressive is that small actions by individual people, when done together, can make a big difference. DLIST discussions also show that many parties have a great interest in making the most of this important public asset that is so precious to tens of thousands of people. New ground might be broken here.
"Think globally - Act locally"
By Susan Mugo and Violet Njambi from CORDIO East Africa Kenya
Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach or "Pirates" as the locals call it, accommodates a beehive of activities and different groups of people. The stakeholders operating at the site usually organize beach clean ups every Monday and Friday of each week. These groups include the traders, the fishers, the tube renters, the boat operators, the life savers and the beach photographers. This week on Monday and Friday the mentioned stakeholders conducted their normal beach cleanup. In the two days of beach clean-up activities conducted, a total of ten drums and 20 small dust bins installed by Safaricom Company were filled with litter. The most common garbage collected was polythine bags, beverage bottles and "Khati stick" or "Miraa". The number of plastic bottles collected was not abundant because every day certain people with special interest in the bottles collect them to sell to traders dealing with either juice or water businesses. The garbage collected is dumped in a central place and later collected by the municipal council of Mombasa who take it to the main dumping sites at Mwakirunge. JKPB stakeholders have decided to "act locally and think globally".
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A Voice from the Ground
By Nadine Pickering, DLIST BCLME team
There is much talk these days about the importance of indigenous knowledge. Yet many people base their views of communities on studies done by social scientists. The world over local communities are being studied and written about. Their views and feelings are usually filtered through a third party, before they reach the wider world. Can this situation be improved? And how can indigenous knowledge be captured, and disseminated on the terms of the communities themselves?
Soon a book will appear, written about the Richtersveld, by the people of the Richtersveld, for the Richtersveld people - since all profits will go to the World Heritage Site that is owned and managed by the community. For those who don't know, the Richtersveld is an area of exceptional qualities and beauty, located in the north-western corner of South Africa on the border of Namibia. The book is accompanied by an electronic database that can be updated through time, so knowledge is not lost when older people move on.
Flanked by the nutrient-rich Benguela Current the area is part of the succulent Karoo which contains higher levels of biodiversity than any other desert in the world, with thousands of succulent species, many of them endemic to the Richtersveld. In addition, the Richtersveld has a very unique culture and history. The transhumant lifestyle of the Namas of the Richtersveld led the Richtersveld Botanical and Cultural Landscape being inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2007.
The Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) together with International Knowledge Management (IKM) and Francois Odendaal Productions (FOP), pulled resources together in 2007 to assist the Richtersvelders to write a book about their beautiful area. A writer's group was formed, through which the rest of the community channelled their stories and ideas. The process took several years but the results are very promising. To get a preview of one of the chapters contact: admin@dlist-asclme.org
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DLIST trip to the Comoros
By Aboubacar from Comoros
For the Distance Learning Information Sharing Tool (DLIST) activities, a scientific mission was received in Comoros from the 7th to 19th June at the DLIST ASCLME Comoros demonstration site. The visitors were Miss Frida Lanshammar, the project coordinator, and Mr Chaplain Toto, an environmental consultant.
The main purpose of the mission was:
- To collect information (baseline data) for the DLIST web site which is a web based platform for general discussions and an information sharing system involving all environmental sectors.
- To visit the DLIST ASCLME demonstration site selected for the Comoros, which is located in Moheli Island, focusing specifically on communities around its Marine Park.
- To meet and exchange with the local authorities who have both political and technical responsibility,
- To meet all potential stakeholders and to explain the main targets and the DLIST ASCLME project,
- To collect the opinions, the requests and the needs of different stakeholders,
- And to record the urgent needs and main priorities of the communities and fishers in the peripheral zone of the Marine Park, especially in the selected demonstration site.
To achieve these goals we used a questionnaire, prepared by the ASCLME project team and requested the help from local people responsible for the marine park and other young people. The target site was focused on Nioumachoi but also included environmental associations in other places, such as the turtle's protection centre in Itsamia, the fishermen's association in Ndrondroni and Wallah, and other environmental associations in Houani. Also, an environmental film festival was organised for the people by screening documentaries in the evening. This was done in a public place to improve the public awareness about the fragile marine ecosystem, where fishing has become the main activity which communities use to survive.
The mission was successful for all communities visited as the approach was very fair. People are now waiting for the follow-up meetings and the implementation of the decided ideas.
The main recommendations through the discussions were:
- Support to improve the fishing activities (provide storage facilities and safety radios),
- Funding for training and infrastructure improvement (increasing the public awareness and establishing a drainage project for the rain water in the village),
- Support for new technology and communication in the Nioumachoi association (internet access)
- Setting up an information and experiences exchange system between the demonstration sites.
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Visit to Ras Mkumbuu Peninsula
By Ali Haji Hamad, Pemba Press Club
Ras Mkumbuu Peninsula in Chake Chake district, in the central region of Pemba Island, Zanzibar, has been earmarked as a DLIST demonstration site. This location was selected due to its good geographical location and rich marine resources.
In line with the aims of the ASCLME project, Ras Mkumbuu Peninsula and the neighbouring Shehias of Ndagoni and Wesha will benefit by the construction of Multi-Purpose Village Centres. The centres will contain meeting space, a computer room, a small market area and a small clinic. They aim to improve the social and economic situation in the community and minimise pressure on the utilization of marine resources.
Recently the EcoAfrica Consultants (Tanzania) team, led by its manager Frida Lanshammar and Professor Karel Bakker, an architect from South Africa, visited Wesha and Ndagoni Shehias and small surrounding villages to make the final consultation with the community. During the visit the team, in collaboration with Shehia development committees of Ndagoni and Wesha, proposed the areas where the centres would be constructed.
Manager Lanshammar said it is still early to talk about the cost of the proposed Multi-Purpose Village Centres before having the complete structural drawings from the architect. She however said that the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) has demonstrated interest to support the initiative. With DANIDA support, the process of establishing the centres will continue with assistance of EcoAfrica and DLIST team.
Expressing his opinion about the proposed village centre, Sheha Kahatan, a Ndagoni village resident said he believed the centres will revive hope in the lives of Ndagoni people and make their social and economic activities more meaningful.
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Latest News from demonstration site in Hamburg, Eastern Cape, South Africa
By Umaymah Jattiem - DLIST team member in South Africa
Hamburg is the demonstration site for DLIST ASCLME in South Africa. Recently the DLIST team undertook their second visit to Hamburg, to gain a better understanding of the community and to obtain their views, vision for their town and discuss issues that are important to them. Also, to identify the possible and potential projects that can happen there. The DLIST team aims to assist the Hamburg community to improve livelihood and environmental management through good planning. Hamburg is an area that has lots of potential for sustainable development and conservation that will benefit present and future generations.
Some of the key issues of the community include complications regarding fishing regulations, lack of employment, lack of environmental education and lack of information sharing from the Government level to the community level. The possible and suggested solutions thus far are the review of the fishing regulations, development of the fishing sector, development of facilities to attract tourism and improved information sharing from the Government level to the community level, and vice versa. All these issues will be formally written into a plan together with the community, as well as provide input into the Strategic Action Plan for the implementation phase of the ASCLME Project.
Ezakutsha nje malunga nendawo yoboniso/utyhilo lwaseHamburg, kwiMpuma koloni yaseMzantsi Afrika
Nolusizo Sitole, DLIST team member in South Africa
I-Hamburg yakhethwa njengenye yeendawo zoboniso lweDLIST (Distance Learning information sharing tool) oko kuthetha ukuthi "isixhobo sonxebelelwano ngolwazi" ASCLME projekthi. I-Hamburg yindawo ekunxweme lase-Mpuma koloni, eMzantsi Afrika. Le ndawo ixhomekeke kakhulu kwindalo okanye kokusiwa phantsi kwempumlo okuvela elwandle. Lendawo inamathuba anokuthi enze umtsalane kubakhenkethi. I-Hamburg inecala lezemvelo elinomtsalane kakhulu, ulwandle olubukekayo kwakunye nemilambo ebizwa okanye eyaziwa ngokuba yiMtana neKeiskammer. Kulendawo kukwakho necala lezendalo. Nangona kukho ifuthe kwezendalo nangokusiwa phantsi kwempumlo okuvela elwandle, kube ngunobangela wokuba zifikelele ekunqongophaleni. Kulendawo kukho imfuneko yokhuselo lwezelwandle ngohlobo lokuba zikwazi ufumaneka nakwisizukulwana esizayo.
Injongo yeqela leDLIST kukukhusela iinxweme zeelwandle zaseNtshona yeIndia (Western Indian Ocean) kunye nendalo yalo ngokuphuhlisa impilo yeendawo/iingingqi ezingqonge unxweme. Eliqela libekunye nendawo yaseHamburg ukususela ngoApril 2010. Eliqela lityelele lendawo yaseHamburg, ngokuthi kuqondwe malunga nalendawo, kuqokelelwe izimvo, imibono kwakunye nemiba ngalendawo. Yaye, kuqwalaselwe iindlela nemizamo yeeprojekthi ezinokuthi zithathe indawo kulengingqi. Iqela leDLIST lizimisele ukunceda lengingqi yaseHamburg ekuphuhlisweni kwendlela yokuphila kulendawo ngokwezendalo nokusingqongileyo. Le ngingqi inemizamo emininzi ngokwenza ngcono ngophuhliso kwisizukulwana esikhoyo ngoku kwaneso sizayo, nesinokuthi sibenako ukungcamla.
Eli qela lisebenza ngokubambiseneyo nengingqi yase Hamburg. Baye babamba iintlanganiso eHamburg kwaye baqhuba noviwano ndlebe nabahlali balendawo.Eminye imiba ephambili kulendawo iquka ungahambi ngendlela eyiyo ngomthetho wolotywa kweentlanzi nezinye izilwanyana zaselwandle, ukunqongophala kwengqesho, ukunqongophala kwemfundiso ngezendalo nokusingqongileyo, kwakunye nokunqongophala kolwabelano ngolwazi ukusuka kurhulumente ukuya kuba bahlali. Izisombululo ezinokuthi zenzeke kwaye ekucetyiswene ngazo kukuvavanywa komthetho wokulotywa kweentlanzi kunye nezinye izilwanyana zaselwandle, uphuhliso lwecandelo lokulotywa kweentlanzi kunye nezinye izilwanyana zaselwandle, uphihliso lwendawo zabakhenkethi kwakunye nolwabelwano olungcono ngolwazi ukusuka kurhulumenteukuya kuba bahlali balendawo.
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Featured partner: Association for Social and Economical Development of Itsamia
The Association for the Social and Economical Development of Itsamia is a non-profit organisation aiming for environmental conservation to improve the livelyhood of the local people. The association was officially created in 1991 and aims to increase public awareness and manage the site where the sea turtles reproduce in Itsamia. Turtles have become the symbol of the organisation.
Since 1998, Itsamia village celebrates the sea turtles day every year on May 28th, the date of the official opening ceremony of the Turtles Centre of Itsamia. The centre is the focal point of all relative activities and the head office of the organisation.
The Turtles Day is an occasion for all environmental conservation stakeholders in Comoros Islands (the NGOs, Governmental and Development agents) to group together once a year and focus on one selected topic. During a week, we organise various traditional shows, sports challenges, drawing activities and general cultural activities. At the end, the best participants received a prize as compensation. The last day focuses on the official talks and the final evening is dedicated for the guest to see the sea turtles walking on the beach and laying eggs. That regular appointment is broadcast over the radio with the official speech and all discussions are organised as a conference.
In 2010, because of the reasons beyond our control, the 2010 Turtles day celebrations was held on the 31st of July in the Turtles Centre in Itsamia Moheli.
Association for the Social and Economical Development of Itsamia
A non profit organization
Head Office: Turtles Center, Itsamia Moheli Comores
ADSEI, PO Box 36 Fomboni Mohéli Comores.
Email : adsei_itsamia@yahoo.fr
Telephone (+269) 772 80 79/ 772 80 84/ Cell: 332 01 11/ 332 78 30
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Towards a Local Development Plan for Le Morne
By Basilia Shivute, DLIST team
Local Economic Development Plans have become powerful tools for many local communities and governments. According to the World Bank, the purpose of the Local Economic Development (LED) is "...to build up the economic capacity of a local area to improve its economic future and the quality of life for all. It is a process by which public, business and non-governmental sector partners work collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and employment generation".
In February 2010, the Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund commissioned a Local Economic Development (LED) Plan for the Le Morne Cultural Landscape (Mauritius). The LED was deemed crucial to foster and maintain a higher quality of life in this economically depressed fishing community and the surrounding areas. The LED for Le Morne was developed after extensive engagement with the local inhabitants, authorities and developers with an interest in the Le Morne Cultural Landscape. The engagement was done through several public meetings in the village. Inhabitants identified issues (weaknesses and opportunities) that the people felt should be considered and a draft common vision was constructed and approved. The vision denotes the needs and aspirations of the inhabitants of Le Morne Cultural Landscape.
To instil a sense of ownership, an LED planning committee was selected at the village level. They spearheaded the planning process and played an important role in the elaboration of the LED plan.
Furthermore, visioning exercises were conducted with the community based associations, e.g. Youth Associations, Women Associations, the Fishers Association, and NGOs amongst others. Issues discussed ranged from sewerage and grey water, land-based pollution of the lagoon, environmental custodianship, land accessibility and ownership, creating an enabling business environment and new livelihoods, conflicting uses of the marine environment, as well as education and capacity building opportunities. While input from the developers differed from the community input, although it is evident that all parties are striving for the landscape to grow in a sustainable way.
The LED plan will guide national and local government when designing projects around LMCL in order to foster sustainable development. Development of the LED Plan could be replicated in other ASCLME target in order to address the needs of fishing communities and promote sustainable advancement.
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Recent discussions on the DLIST ASCLME website
The most debated topic for this month has been the dynamite fishing near Tumbatu Island in Zanzibar. This topic has caught the attention of concerned community members, politicians and specialists. Dynamite fishing has been an unresolved issue for many years. Discussions point to closer involvement of communities and partnership with Government as one possible solution. To read more follow the link below:
http://www.dlist-asclme.org/group-discussion/general-discussion/re-dlist-asclme-dynamite-fishing-near-tumbatu-island-zanzibar
A sad incident was the beaching of a baby whale in Maroantsetra in Madagascar. Although it appears that the animal may have died of natural causes, there has been an outcry as hungry community members ate the baby. To read more follow the link below:
http://www.dlist-asclme.org/group-discussion/general-discussion/stranded-whale-maroantsetra
There are a growing number of urban beaches in the WIO region. Many experience similar problems. An interesting discussion on the Jomo Kenyatta public beach, a zone with multiple pressures in Kenya, has been ongoing. For concerns, suggestions and possible approaches follow the link below:
http://www.dlist-asclme.org/group-discussion/general-discussion/jomo-kenyatta-public-beach-clean-ups
The value of stakeholder participation is becoming more appreciated across the region. To see how communities can use their natural heritage and improve their livelihoods please follow the link to the Stakeholder Participation for a Better Future - DLIST distance learning course:
http://www.dlist-asclme.org/group-discussion/general-discussion/stakeholder-participation-a-better-future-%E2%80%93-dlist-distance
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As discussões recentes no site ASCLME DLIST
O tema mais debatido este mês tem sido a pesca com dinamite perto da Ilha Tumbatu em Zanzibar. Este assunto chamou a atenção dos membros da comunidade interessados, políticos e especialistas. A pesca com dinamite tem sido um problema não resolvido por muitos anos. As discussões apontam para um maior envolvimento das comunidades e a parceria com o Governo como uma solução possível. Para ler mais siga o link abaixo:
http://www.dlist-asclme.org/group-discussion/general-discussion/re-dlist-asclme-dynamite-fishing-near-tumbatu-island-zanzibar
Um triste incidente foi o encalhar de uma baleia-bebê em Maroantsetra em Madagascar. Embora pareça que o animal tenha morrido de causas naturais, houve um clamor de que membros da comunidade com fome usaram a carne da baleia bebê para consumo. Para ler mais siga o link abaixo:
http://www.dlist-asclme.org/group-discussion/general-discussion/stranded-whale-maroantsetra
Há um crescente número de praias urbanas na região WIO. Muitas têm problemas semelhantes. Uma discussão interessante sobre a praia pública de Jomo Kenyatta, uma zona com múltiplas pressões no Quênia, tem sido constante. Para preocupações, sugestões e abordagens possíveis siga o link abaixo:
http://www.dlist-asclme.org/group-discussion/general-discussion/jomo-kenyatta-public-beach-clean-ups
O valor da participação das partes interessadas é cada vez mais apreciado em toda a região. Para ver como as comunidades podem usar o seu património natural e melhorar os seus meios de subsistência, siga o link para o curso de aprendizagem a distância DLIST Participação das Partes Interessados - Para um Futuro Melhor:
http://www.dlist-asclme.org/group-discussion/general-discussion/stakeholder-participation-a-better-future-%E2%80%93-dlist-distance
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