Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA)

Change activity: Community-based adaptation to climate change in GMTFCA: the

case of eco-tourism in MASEGO-Botswana, Irrigation for food production in South
Africa and water-harvesting-enhanced intercropping for food production in
Maramani-Zimbabwe
Progress:
The progress made by the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area
(GMTFCA) climate change adaptation project team can be described at local and
cross-border level. The commitment of the Process Moderator Mr Peter Ncube
(Zimbabwe) and the dynamism of the International Coordinator Ms Patience
Gandiwa, who was also part of the Leadership dialogue have played a key role in
ensuring that implementation takes place and reporting flows smoothly. Botswana is
implementing eco-tourism, South Africa is focusing on irrigation and Zimbabwe is
doing intercropping. All the sub-projects are focusing on the local communities
therefore they are the key stakeholders. Other stakeholders include the local
municipalities, local chiefs, government organisations, NGOs and advisory
committees from governments and private organizations.
The International Coordinator pledged that
We shall continue to support Peter working closely with the other
representatives from Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe who were
trained earlier. our TFCA is prone to supposedly climate change induced
vulnerabilities like floods and droughts, hence this kind of exposure that was
accorded to Mr Ncube is essential for operationalization of some of our key
activities that are in tandem with our TFCA-wide strategic plan for managing
disasters and also supporting local communities in GMTFCA. We shall be
looking forward to see the impact of these need-driven programmes being
spearheaded by SADC WESSA. The expected impact should culminate in
boosting the adaptive capacity and resilience of local people living
within/close to our TFCAs, on climate change adaptation-related issues
(Gandiwa, email comm., June 9, 2014).
The GMTFCA team among other things were able to search for management plans,
to collaborate in cross-border meetings, and to make plans for climate change
adaptation changes and to develop a Transfrontier project with country level
components. The GMTFCA Integrated Development Plan was found not to have any
reference to Climate change.
The Botswana component of the climate change adaptation action is led by Mr
Banele Jongilizwe whose task is to work with the local communities of MASEGO to
diversity their economy as an adaptation to increasing drought that is affecting crop
yields and worsening the foot and mouth disease problem in livestock. The targeted
communities are Mabolwe, Semolale and Gobojango communities, commonly
known as the MASEGO communities.
(the communities) have been relying on livestock rearing and rain-fed agriculture for their
livelihoods. For the past decade their harvest has been declining due to decreasing rainfall
and increasing temperatures. Recently these communities have decided to find alternative

and innovative methods of improving their livelihoods in order to diversify the local economy.
The communities have agreed at a recent consultation meeting where climate change
adaptation was discussed that they should divert to eco-tourism as a source of income. This
is because their area has a diversity of wildlife as well as a beautiful scenic environment
suitable for tourism establishment. The communities have started drafting a constitution which
will enable them to access land and wildlife quota from the Government which they will sell for
revenue. They will also use the revenue for development of their community (Banele,
January, 24, 2014).

Progress in the implementation of eco-tourism as an adaptation has been taking

place steadily on the Botswana component. With support from the project leader,
and in liaison with the Chief wildlife wardens Ms Sennye Mahupeleng
(smahupeleng@yahoo.com; 002673971405 /0026771477867), and Mr Malatsi
Mamani (mmamani@gmail.com; 00267 729 68236) the communitys draft
constitution is now in place. Further actions include securing a budget from within the
Department of Parks and Wildlife Management to support the communitys
adaptation project to take off.
On the South African side efforts are led by a community leader, namely Mr
Godfrey Nephawe (0027 71 1839 749). The initial challenge was to negotiate with
the Park Management to work together with the community and connect communitybased adaptation with park conservation interests and ecosystem-based adaptation
options; and limited communication (no email address. Alternative: Mr Sam Dagada
in Mapungubwe, Sam.Dagada@sanparks.org Cc Ms Cynthia Skommere at
cskommere@environment.gov.za, contact number: 012 310 3238). Meetings have
been held on the climate change adaptation project with the community leaders and
the Park Management. Mr Nephawe has been largely unreachable on his mobile
despite several attempts to reach him to get the latest updates.
The most activity has been reported on the Zimbabwean side where the participant
in the first course, Ms Beatrice Ponela has mobilised schools, communities and other
stakeholders around awareness on climate change adaptation and sustainable
livelihood actions around conservation farming, both of which came about as a result
of the CCA trainings. As a result of the training that she participated in, Ms Ponela in
coordination with her colleague Mr Peter Ncube the CAMPFIRE Officer at Beitbridge
Rural District Council (BBRDC), together have sensitised the Rural District Council
(RDC) to incorporate CCA in the Strategic Plan Development Process of 2014. A
section of this strategic plan now reads 8.3.1 Strategic Outcome: Communities
capacitated on Climate change vulnerability, mitigation and adaptation methods by
2015.
Ms Ponela has also been very motivated in engaging with and integrating climate
change adaptation and has been given some tasks to speak on behalf of the Rural
District Council regarding climate change in some meetings after attending the first
training contact session. The Process Moderator Mr Peter Ncube pledged soon after
his CCA training course to start a process of sensitising all key stakeholders in the
TFCA on CCA working together with the participants of the first course. He also
planned to sensitise the Park managers of all the Parks through the trans-boundary
Resource Managers Committee which he chairs at the next meeting after 6th June
2014. An update on this is provided below. The Committee meets quarterly on a
rotational basis. A meeting schedule for each year is in place and will be circulated.

This is expected to lead to enhanced communication on the CCA change project and
change actions, and evidence of collaboration. The challenge of transboundary
communication around the CCA change project appears to have been resolved,
however it was agreed that stakeholders should find a way of getting updates from
the participating colleagues through communicating with MASEGO (DWNPBotswana), Fhatuwani-SANParks-(SA) and Maramani (Zimbabwe).
After the CAMPFIRE Officer in the BBRDC had participated in the Process
Moderators course in February 2014, he took the climate change adaptation actions
further. As Chairperson of the Resource Managers Committee in the GMTFCA he
tabled the issue of climate change adaptation at a meeting held in June 2014, and
the team agreed to keep it on the agenda.
On the Zimbabwe side, further actions were done on the project, which include the
following:

The Resource Managers set up a WhatsApp communications and networking

group to network and exchange ideas and support each others climate
change adaptation actions. The WhatsApp group is now discussing various
other TFCA issues, and has been said to be working very well.

On 25th July 2014 stakeholders on the Zimbabwe side met at a workshop to

finalise the District strategic plan, where Climate Change Adaptation was
integrated into the five year strategic plan of Beitbridge Rural District Council.
This was an off-shoot of both the managers and community representatives
CCA training course and the Process Moderators course. Plate 5 below
captures the stakeholder group that met.

Plate 5 Key stake-holders during the BBRDC strategic planning workshop where Climate Change Adaptation was
integrated into the five year strategic plan1 of Beitbridge Rural District Council in Zimbabwe, 25 July 2014 after Process
Moderators workshop.

In addition, as a direct result of the climate change adaptation training supported by

GIZ, the Zimbabwe team also held community awareness meetings (see Plate 6
1 Copy of strategic plan available

below) which have also led to community members being given an opportunity to do
horticulture as a livelihood improvement adaptation activity in an existing irrigated
citrus growing community plot (see plate 3 below).

Plate 6: Climate change awareness campaigns with Maramani community

As a result of the trainings the process moderator indicated that he has been
equipped to articulate the environment and livelihood issues in his work with climate
change. Soon after the course he led development of a Draft Concept Note:
Tshikwalakwala REDD+ Project, 13 June 2014 which will be use to raise funds and
will involve several stakeholders and specialised parastatals such as the Forestry
Commission.