Systemic
Outcome 1: Enabling environment strengthened at both systemic and institutional levels
1, Enabling policy and frame work: The Tawana Land Board (TLB) as the main regulatory authority on land matters in the Ngamiland District entered into agreement with the BIOAKAVANGO project in an effort to mainstream BD management objectives across the Okavango Delta ecosystem. There was a realization that the TLB lacks the expertise and resources to assimilate and interpret information on resource status and to make management decisions or enforce existing regulations on biodiversity management. Developments and natural resource planning and management remain fragmented, demand driven and ahhoc. The BD Coordinator at TLB works with its members are currently mainstreaming biodiversity management objectives into their routine work as part of the agreement. The BD Coordinator has been working with the TLB for two years now, and has delivered tremendous outputs in pursuit of this endeavour.
2, Cross-sectoral institutional cooperation framework: The Okavango Delta (OD) has a diverse ecosystem which is complex in nature. The OD has a wide range of resources and users who are governed by multiple managers following a range of legislations, policies and guidelines, as well as regional and international conventions, agreements and protocols. The intricacy of the situation requires strong coordination to ensure integrated management planning and cross-sectoral communication. This is being achieved through the following outputs: The use of the Okavango delta Management plan which was formulated as a way of introducing integrated planning in the Ngamiland district and the resuscitation of the Okavango Wetland Management Committee (OWMC).
3, Institutional capacity of regulatory institutions strengthened: Formulation of new, and review of existing, environmental/conservation policies and pieces of legislation that create an enabling environment for the implementation of the BIOKAVANGO Project include the following: review to the tourism policy, review of the Wildlife Conservation policy of 1986. Formulations of the integrated management plan for the ODRS and its harmonization with the Ngamiland Tourism Development plan. The review of the lease agreements and the WMA regulations has also been completed. All these policy documents have been incorporated with the BD management conservation objectives
4, Knowledge management systems in place: The lack of a articulated recognized outreach mechanism for imparting information (from authorities) to resource user groups in the Okavango Delta was overcome by the Biokavango Project is collaborating with HOORC to establish mechanisms that allow multi-way flow of biodiversity information. HOORC by its nature generates knowledge in natural resources management for the Okavango Delta. This makes it an ideal centre/hub for the facilitation of biodiversity knowledge sharing/exchange between the multi-sectoral stakeholders of the Okavango Delta and beyond.
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