Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area

This paper analyses groundwater governance within a transfrontier conservation landscape. Given the current heightened interest in groundwater development, it is imperative that more thought be given to how groundwater resources can best be managed in different contexts for multiple uses and users....

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Autores principales: Mukuyu, P., Nyambe, N., Magombeyi, Manuel Simba, Ebrahim, Girma Yimer
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Ubiquity Press, Ltd. 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141691
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author Mukuyu, P.
Nyambe, N.
Magombeyi, Manuel Simba
Ebrahim, Girma Yimer
author_browse Ebrahim, Girma Yimer
Magombeyi, Manuel Simba
Mukuyu, P.
Nyambe, N.
author_facet Mukuyu, P.
Nyambe, N.
Magombeyi, Manuel Simba
Ebrahim, Girma Yimer
author_sort Mukuyu, P.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This paper analyses groundwater governance within a transfrontier conservation landscape. Given the current heightened interest in groundwater development, it is imperative that more thought be given to how groundwater resources can best be managed in different contexts for multiple uses and users. Transfrontier conservation areas are areas of vast biological diversity whose functioning and ecosystem integrity depends on the availability of water to sustain ecosystems and subsequently derive economic benefit. Further, climate vulnerable rural communities depend on and form an important part of this landscape. The work highlighted in this paper is based on a study conducted in parts of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), the largest TFCA in the world. Climate induced challenges such as droughts and general poor land use planning have resulted in threats to long term sustainability of freshwater ecosystems and increased incidences of human-wildlife conflicts over limited water resources. Effective groundwater governance can potentially provide pathways for alleviating these challenges. Building on the theoretical fundamentals of polycentric governance, this paper analyses the case of the KAZA TFCA in which multiple levels of governance exist. The paper discusses how to achieve coordination and accountability within a shared landscape to foster sustainable use and management of groundwater. Groundwater within a TFCA context has the potential to alleviate human-wildlife conflict over freshwater, support groundwater dependant ecosystems and sustain smallholder agriculture for the rural communities. Understanding this role of groundwater adds to the framing of freshwater governance and conservation efforts within a TFCA and the identification and development of platforms for the integrated management of groundwater. Bringing together freshwater and conservation institutions in a multi-country context towards integrated water resource management is an initial and novel attempt which forms the foundation for achieving optimal governance approaches in the commons.
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spelling CGSpace1416912025-12-08T10:29:22Z Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area Mukuyu, P. Nyambe, N. Magombeyi, Manuel Simba Ebrahim, Girma Yimer groundwater water governance transboundary waters freshwater biodiversity conservation aquifers This paper analyses groundwater governance within a transfrontier conservation landscape. Given the current heightened interest in groundwater development, it is imperative that more thought be given to how groundwater resources can best be managed in different contexts for multiple uses and users. Transfrontier conservation areas are areas of vast biological diversity whose functioning and ecosystem integrity depends on the availability of water to sustain ecosystems and subsequently derive economic benefit. Further, climate vulnerable rural communities depend on and form an important part of this landscape. The work highlighted in this paper is based on a study conducted in parts of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), the largest TFCA in the world. Climate induced challenges such as droughts and general poor land use planning have resulted in threats to long term sustainability of freshwater ecosystems and increased incidences of human-wildlife conflicts over limited water resources. Effective groundwater governance can potentially provide pathways for alleviating these challenges. Building on the theoretical fundamentals of polycentric governance, this paper analyses the case of the KAZA TFCA in which multiple levels of governance exist. The paper discusses how to achieve coordination and accountability within a shared landscape to foster sustainable use and management of groundwater. Groundwater within a TFCA context has the potential to alleviate human-wildlife conflict over freshwater, support groundwater dependant ecosystems and sustain smallholder agriculture for the rural communities. Understanding this role of groundwater adds to the framing of freshwater governance and conservation efforts within a TFCA and the identification and development of platforms for the integrated management of groundwater. Bringing together freshwater and conservation institutions in a multi-country context towards integrated water resource management is an initial and novel attempt which forms the foundation for achieving optimal governance approaches in the commons. 2024-04-15 2024-04-30T22:32:38Z 2024-04-30T22:32:38Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141691 en Open Access Ubiquity Press, Ltd. Mukuyu, P.; Nyambe, N.; Magombeyi, Manuel Simba; Ebrahim, Girma Yimer. 2024. Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. International Journal of the Commons, 18(1):322-336. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5334/ijc.1336]
spellingShingle groundwater
water governance
transboundary waters
freshwater
biodiversity conservation
aquifers
Mukuyu, P.
Nyambe, N.
Magombeyi, Manuel Simba
Ebrahim, Girma Yimer
Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
title Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
title_full Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
title_fullStr Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
title_full_unstemmed Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
title_short Polycentric groundwater governance: insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area
title_sort polycentric groundwater governance insights from the kavango zambezi transfrontier conservation area
topic groundwater
water governance
transboundary waters
freshwater
biodiversity conservation
aquifers
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141691
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AT magombeyimanuelsimba polycentricgroundwatergovernanceinsightsfromthekavangozambezitransfrontierconservationarea
AT ebrahimgirmayimer polycentricgroundwatergovernanceinsightsfromthekavangozambezitransfrontierconservationarea