1st Limpopo Joint Basin Survey successfully conducted
The 1st Limpopo Joint Basin Survey (JBS) and Environmental Flows assessment was successfully conducted in August/September 2024 to offer some critical river health indicators and insights into the environment of the Limpopo River Basin (LRB). The LRB is a lifeline to millions of people as it supports diverse socio-economic activities such as mining, irrigation, fishing, and eco-tourism in the four Riparian States that share the Limpopo River: Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
In this regard, the 1st Limpopo JBS and Environmental Flows assessment transcended its role as a mere scientific endeavor, emerging as a beacon of hope for addressing the basin's environmental challenges and ensuring that the basin's communities can fully enjoy the benefits that a healthy system can provide. The survey, dedicated to understanding and improving the basin's ecological health by meticulously collecting and analyzing data on water quality, biodiversity, and ecosystem dynamics, laid the groundwork for informed and effective integrated water resources management practices.
This landmark and collaborative exercise among the four Riparian States will help preserve the basin’s natural beauty and biological diversity and ensure that it continues to provide essential resources for generations to come.During the survey, the multidisciplinary team of experts, led by Rivers of Life (consultant) and representatives of the four Riparian States, the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, and the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) Secretariat, also engaged with various stakeholders in the basin to learn and share knowledge about the LRB's ecosystem health.
The interaction allowed the team to grasp various indigenous knowledge systems the communities employ daily with the natural environment. Incorporating indigenous knowledge in decision-making processes is critical in ensuring sustainable basin management and equitable utilization of resources.
“We are very happy to have been engaged and consulted on this important exercise,” one community member living along the Shashe River on the Botswana side, Mr Joseph Moilwa, said. The Shashe River is a major tributary of the Limpopo River and flows into the Limpopo River, where Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa meet at the confluence.
LIMCOM Environment and Water Resources Management Specialist Mr. Zvikomborero Manyangadze also expressed satisfaction with the survey's progress, saying the findings will positively impact the basin's management and development
“By promoting sustainable practices and protecting the river’s health, the survey aims to uplift the communities, enhance their quality of life, and secure their future,” Mr Manyangadze said, adding that the survey is also a clear commitment by the four Riparian States to environmental stewardship and social justice, ensuring that both the natural world and the people who depend on it can thrive together.
Lead consultant for the 1st Limpopo JBS, Prof Gordon O'Brien from Rivers of Life, said the analysis of samples taken during the survey is advanced, and a report will be ready soon. “A lot of samples have been packed and processed, and we have started sending them off to accredited laboratories,” Prof O'Brien said. LIMCOM Member States said they are looking forward to the findings so that the management of the basin could be strengthened for present and future generations. “We are all looking forward to knowing the findings so that we can better manage our resources in the basin,” Ms. Martha Zunguze from the Republic of Mozambique said on behalf of the Riparian States.
Findings from the 1st Limpopo JBS are expected to provide a foundation for developing a comprehensive and updated Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plan for the basin. Furthermore, the survey paves the way for the establishment of a transboundary river health monitoring team in the LRB. The 1st Limpopo JBS is being executed under the project “Integrated Transboundary River Basin Management for the Sustainable Development of the Limpopo River Basin,” which aims to uplift the living standards of the basin's population and conserve the basin's resources and ecosystem services.
LIMCOM is implementing the project in partnership with the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). As the GEF implementing entity, UNDP provides overall oversight of the project with GWPSA being the executing agency, while LIMCOM is the focal custodian of the project implementation.
Text by : Kizito Sikuka ksikuka@limpopocommission.org
Contact: For more information, please contact Dr. Eddie Riddell: [eriddell@limpopocommission.org]
About the project: The UNDP-GEF Limpopo project seeks to achieve integrated, cross-sectoral, ecosystem-based management of the Limpopo River to uplift the living standards of the basin’s population and conserve the basin’s resources and ecosystem services. It is being implemented in the four countries that share the Limpopo namely Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.