The Zambezi Watershed by https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo Presentation by Kelly Maere-Diener en-us 2020-12-04 05:40:02 UTC 2024-06-02 15:37:39 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f305.png The Zambezi River Basin kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861855                                        Conflicts on the Water's Edge

                                 A presentation by Kelly Maere-Diener]]> 2020-12-06 03:53:37 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861855 What is a Transboundry Watershed? kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861896 A watershed is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as
 "a dividing ridge between two drainage areas" 
        as well as 
 "a region or area bounded by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water"

- A watershed that is "transboundry" is a drainage point that shares it's
   borders with two or more countries and is relied upon by vast numbers of
people. 

We will be going over the stakeholders, conflicts and environmental status of the Zambezi River Basin in South Africa. 

By doing so we will better understand the factors currently preventing cohesion, cooperation, and sustainability along the water's edge as well as steps being taken to create unity within the countries dependent on the watershed. 
]]> 2020-12-06 03:53:41 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861896 Physical Parameters kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861925
Length - 1,599 miles or 3,000 km
Drainage Area of the Basin - 1,390,000 square km

Yearly Precipitation:
         - Precipitation ranges from 500 mm in the deep south to 1400 mm in
            upper regions.
         - A yearly rainy season graces the area but is significantly longer and
            heavier in the North. The South receives a general 700 mm, or less,
in rain a year.

Flooding and droughts are both significant problems along the basin.]]> 2020-12-06 03:53:44 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861925 Social Parameters kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861968
- Roughly 40 million people are reliant on the system.

- Threats to water security include droughts, flooding and pollution and the
   inability for the individual nations to work together.

 - The inability to compromise between countries leads to more insecurity. ]]> 2020-12-06 03:53:48 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861968 Major Land Uses kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861999
 The river provides and supports:
       - Mining
       - Fisheries
       - Drinking Water
       - Food Irrigation
       - Fundamental income through tourism
       - Hydroelectric Power ]]> 2020-12-06 03:53:51 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990861999 Political Conflict kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862042
- Difficulties accessing clean drinking water or the inability to form reliable
   sources of food create inter-continent skirmishes.

 “We argue that in certain circumstances these direct and indirect impacts of climate change on human security may in turn increase the risk of violent conflict” (Barnett, 2007) 

  Colonization over these basin-bordering countries widened the divide
  culturally, impacting the ability to come together over common needs
  today:
              - Before the regions bordering the basin were “carved up” in
                 accordance with colonizers best interests, it appears that water
                 needs within the region were broadly met.

- Political boundary-lines is a major roadblock on the way to managing
water resources. 

“Even if there are many transboundary identities and ethnicities in the Zambezi river basin, the interests of ruling colonial and national elites have constituted the main organizing principle for the governance and the management of the Zambezi basin” (Söderbaum, 2015) 
]]> 2020-12-06 03:53:56 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862042 Ecosystem Change kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862072
- Loss of habitat is expected through these massive droughts and flooding
   instances.

- High-Impact climate events often wipe out entire ecosystems and have the
potential to put many species at risk.

- Previous flood planes in South Africa have turned into dried, cracked
   wastelands.

- Many animals, such as African Elephants, lose their access to water and die
   of thirst.]]> 2020-12-06 03:53:58 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862072 Climate Change Challenges kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862099
- Southern countries bordering the Zambezi as air temperatures increase,
   rainfall decreases, increasing the conditions that bring massive droughts.

- Massive droughts limit food irrigation.

- Northern countries bordering the Zambezi find themselves with larger
   quantities of rain, leading to disastrous flooding.

- People in areas effected by drought or flooding migrate into other
countries in search of freshwater and food.

]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:01 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862099 Water Availability and Access kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862128
Each countries’ needs depend on their location along the basin, particularly because rainfall varies harshly region to region:

- Zambia and Zimbabwe hold most of the watershed’s terrain:
                      - These countries serve as the river’s leading management roles.
                      - They share high-traffic tourist locations such as the Kariba
                          Dam and Victoria Falls.

- Angola, Mozambique, and Zambia are much more water-rich and rely less
   on surface water for irrigation.

- Basin-bordering countries such as Namibia and Botswana receive very
little rainfall and are reliant on groundwater resources for daily life. ]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:05 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862128 Energy Access kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862526
- Hydroelectric Power is processed through multiple power plants across
   the region.

- Some of these power plants can create up to 2,000 megawatts at a time.

- There are 18 plants currently existing or currently in construction around
   the Zambezi.

]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:39 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862526 Agriculture and Food Security kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862569
High-impact climate change events have huge impacts on food irrigation:
                     - Drought creates a lack of water for irrigation.
                     - Floods wipe out any farmland currently being irrigated.

- The population bordering the river basin is inspected to increase, bringing
   with it an increased demand for water for drinking and irrigation.

- Without water security there is no food security.

- Access to clean water and keeping the population healthy and alive is an
   issue that commonly competes over time and money with structural
matters like dam-building.]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:43 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862569 Current Management of the System kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862592
Current system management is hindered by:
           - Inadequate structures in the basin
           - Poor data collection
           - Poor communication between countries
           - Inadequate training
               and
           - Constraints on Human, Institutional, Legal, and Economic factors

- Dam building helps manage flooding and control the flow of water into
   drought effected areas.

- Leaving sections of the water undamed can lead to disaster for areas that
   are dependent on groundwater.

]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:45 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862592 An Attempted Solution kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862663  
-  One attempt at constructing a more environmentally-friendly plan for
    the river basin was the Zambezi River Action Plan (ZACPLAN) in 1987.

- The fundamental concept of the ZACPLAN was to have all eight basin
    bordering countries agree upon a plan set by the National Environmental
     Program (UNEP) following the the Integrated Water Resource Management
     (IWRM) paradigm.

- One major achievement was contributing to the 1995 Protocol on Shared
   Water Courses, a framework for water resource management built over
    nearly three decades.

- This protocol led to the formation of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission
   (ZAMCOM).

    ZACPLAN ultimately failed due to 
                 - Struggles over leadership between interacting countries
                 - Lack of commitment from donors
                    and
                  - An inability to cooperate among the eight countries

“Since no behavioral change can be observed, the ZACPLAN can be qualified as ineffective” (Söderbaum, 2015) 

]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:51 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862663 Another Attempted Solution kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862688
- Government organizations bordering the basin have made attempts to
   produce water-management plans that will provide all eight counties with
   the resources they need.

    The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a multi
     country-organization created in hopes to:
                  - Integrate basin needs
                     and
                  - Create a sustainable plan for region development.

- Working alongside the IWRM, SADC developed methods to help manage
    competing demands of the 15 shared rivers in the lower half of the
    continent.

- Competing demands over power structures, financial and human
    resources, and water have made it incredibly difficult to form a system
that adequately provides for all involved.
 

]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:53 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862688 Feasible Future Solutions kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862732
    Striking the cause of disaster is a much more permanent solution to putting a bandage on the symptoms. 

       Addressing the environmental problems directly would better address
 the issue of the refugee crisis as a whole.

This could be accomplished by:

- Implementing more environmentally friendly practices, in all countries
   around the globe, preventing climate change from worsening and
   thus preventing many major-impact events that would cause the
   emergency evacuation of communities. This is particularity necessary in
   highly industrial and first-world countries.

- Countries with the ability to lend a helping hand to countries growing
   industrially could help implement these environmentally friendly
   practices by providing the resources and knowledge available.

 Conflicts within the Zambezi River Basin could be managed through:
            - Community Assistance: Countries with well developed water
                management systems sharing resources and knowledge
             - Improved infrastructure
             - Having neutral parties mediate negotiations for equitable river
                 access
             - Scientific Studies on Climate Change: Currently five students from
                the Delft University of Technology are mapping the Zambezi River. 

" The overall goal of this mapping is to be able to enhance the water, food and energy security in the Lower Zambezi river through a better understanding of the rainfall-runoff behavior in the river catchment." 
(NL Netherlands, 2019)

Finding solutions that not only aide current refugees misplaced do to environmental disaster but actively combating climate change at it's root, despite what it may cost financially, would fulfill the requirements of the Triple Bottom Line and prevent the situation from worsening.

Without the burden of further high-impact events caused by climate change, issues towards infrastructure and reconstruction in areas previously evacuated by refugees can begin. 

This concept of the Triple Bottom Line could easily be achieved if enough countries came together to create a Green New Deal in order to stop climate change at it's source. 
]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:56 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862732 The "Triple Bottom Line" kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862754 The Triple Bottom Line in more detail:]]> 2020-12-06 03:54:59 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862754 The "Triple Bottom Line" Concept kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862795
The Triple Bottom Line is based on three fundamental  "P's":
                  - People
                  - Planet
                  - Profit

 - It is a business concept that focuses not only on making money but the
    preservation of nature and what is beneficial to the people.

- It's a way of ensuring environmental sustainability while living in a capitalist
   society. 

- One can theorize that a solution that fits the Triple Bottom Line would
   vastly improve the Zambezi situation. 

]]> 2020-12-06 03:55:03 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862795 Human Migration and Moral Responsibility kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862866
- Leaders of governments receiving large groups of refugees have to ask
   themselves what their moral responsibility is towards helping these
   people, as well as their own.

- With a new influx of people increasing the population, distribution of
   resources and budget designations have to be reassessed in high-refugee
   areas.

- An ethical position would be to provide whatever assistance can be
provided.]]> 2020-12-06 03:55:09 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862866 The Zambezi River Basin kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862887
The Zambezi River is a body of water located in South Africa that is shared by eight separate countries:
            - Angola
            - Botswana
            - Malawi
            - Mozambique
            - Namibia
            - Tanzania
            - Zambia
                and
            - Zimbabwe.

- There has been constant strife over ownership and access to the river's
   waters

- While all eight countries share a very similar regional space their
geographical needs vary by location. ]]> 2020-12-06 03:55:11 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862887 In Conclusion kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862914
 - 40 million people residing in the countries bordering the Zambezi River do
    not have water or food security.

- Climate Change has rampaged through the countries along the Zambezi
   causing disastrous flooding and catastrophic droughts across different parts
   of the region.

- High-impact climate disasters have created refugees fleeing their home
   countries in search of basic necessities, putting economic strain on nearby 
   nations that are also facing climate disaster thus worsening the problem.  

- Without coordination and cooperation between borders, the basic needs of 
   most of the countries reliant on the Zambezi will not be met. 

- There has been no modern water access settlement between the countries
   bordering the Zambezi due to political strife.

- Attempts are still being made to find a solution that will benefit all of the
  countries involved.

]]> 2020-12-06 03:55:13 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862914 References kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862940
ABC News. (2019, November 06). Drought is killing Africa's elephants, forcing rangers to abandon 'non-intervention' policy. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-07/zimbabwe-severe-drought-is-killing-elephants-and-other-wildlife/11679516

Atkinson, J. F., & Domske, H. M. (n.d.). Transboundary Water Resources Management and the Potential for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM): Rhine River, Mekong River, and Zambezi River Case Studies (Vol. 5, Lessons in Conservation, pp. 33-61, Rep.). Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved October 26, 2020, from file:///C:/Users/maere/AppData/Local/Temp/LinC5_Transboundary.pdf

Barnett, J., & Adger, W. (2007, May 18). Climate change, human security and violent conflict. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096262980700039X

Betts, A., Collier, P. (2017). Refuge, rethinking refugee policy in a changing world. New York, NY. Oxford University Press,

Black, R. et.al. (2011). The effect of environmental change on human migration. Global Environmental Change. Vol 21. Supplement 1.  Pgs. S3-S11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.10.001

GridArendalNorway. (n.d.). Zambezi River Basin hydropower facilities: GRID-Arendal. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.grida.no/resources/5184

Hill, M. (2019). Life on the Zambezi is Hard. The Climate Crisis is Making it Deadly. Retrieved December 07, 2020, from https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2019-zambezi-river-climate-crisis/

Jensen, K. M., & Lange, R. B. (2013). DIIS REPORT 2011:031TRANSBOUNDARY WATER GOVERNANCE IN A SHIFTING DEVELOPMENT CONTEXTNEW DEVELOPMENT FINANCE, DEVELOPMENT SPACES AND COMMITMENT TO COOPERATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE MEKONG AND THE ZAMBEZI RIVER BASINS (pp. 1-134, Rep. No. 978-87-7605-595-0). Copenhagen, Denmark: Danish Institute for International Studies. Retrieved 2013, from file:///C:/Users/maere/AppData/Local/Temp/Transboundary%20water%20governance%20Mekong%20Zambezi.pdf

Khavarian-Garmsir, A. R. et. al. (2019). Climate change and environmental degradation and the drivers of migration in the context of shrinking cities: a case study of Khuzestan province, Iran. Sustainable Cities and Society. Vol. 47.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101480

Kirchhoff, C. J., & Bulkley, J. W. (2008, June 20). Sustainable Water Management in the Zambezi River Basin. Retrieved October 26, 2020, from https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jii/4750978.0015.208/--sustainable-water-management-in-the-zambezi-river-basin?rgn=main%3Bview

Maere-Diener, K. (2020). A Heartless Head nor a Headless Heart: 
Coordinating Successful Policy Regarding Refugees [Docx]. Bremerton, Wa. Written for SOE 110

Maere-Diener, K. (2020). Transboundry Watershed: Conflicting Interests along the Zambezi River Basin  [Docx]. Bremerton, Wa. Written for SOE 110

Mafuta, C. (n.d.). Zambezi River Basin: Atlas of the Changing Environment: GRID-Arendal. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.grida.no/publications/189

Merriam Webster. (2020). Watershed Definition. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/watershed

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Meissner Sound. (2019, September 16). Triple Bottom Line. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://youtu.be/2YSV6MDmYEc

NL Netherlands. (2019). Advanced mapping of Zambezi river by students to prevent floods and droughts. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.dutchwatersector.com/news/advanced-mapping-of-zambezi-river-by-students-to-prevent-floods-and-droughts

ScienceVision FilmProduktion (1, December 2010). Zambezi - The Source of Life. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imgMbHWFwG8

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Weather Underground. (2011, May 18). Zambezi Floods. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3GY2-XW8O8

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]]> 2020-12-06 03:55:15 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/990862940 Human Migration kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/991155117
- Areas facing climate disasters have worsening situations in areas that
   struggle with poverty.

Countries that find themselves struggling with resources long before high-impact disasters, the impacts will not be limited to those areas:
                      - Fleeing populations have to flee somewhere
                      - Not every country that becomes a haven for refugees has the
                         resources to take care of them.

“Whether or not they are well equipped to cope with a massive influx of refugees, and most of them are not particularly able to do so, that is what they have got.” (Betts 2017, page 33)

- Environmental changes are a major cause of the refugee crisis, forcing
   people into new areas in search of necessities. 

- Changing environmental factors like temperature, ocean level, erosion, and
   so on cause the chances for high-impact events such as floods or droughts
   to drastically increase.

- These high-impact events drastically alter the landscape and forces
   communities into new areas, worsening the problem. 

]]> 2020-12-06 08:26:48 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/991155117 "Victoria Falls Shrinks to a Trickle..." kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/992712981                      A short video published to YouTube December 2019]]> 2020-12-07 03:34:17 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/992712981 "Zambezi - The Source of Life" kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/992912602 A brief look into the Zambezi River Basin]]> 2020-12-07 05:35:22 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/992912602 "Zambezi Floods" kellymaerediener https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/992931622 Short footage of Zambezi floodwaters]]> 2020-12-07 05:47:05 UTC https://padlet.com/kellymaerediener/6jhaq0mfeco7qglo/wish/992931622