Integrating citizen science with modern scientific research to understand the Limpopo basin

Summary

The 1st Limpopo Joint Basin Survey (JBS) and Environmental Flows (Eflows) assessment is a milestone for the basin as it successfully integrated citizen science with traditional modern scientific research, resulting in a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of the basin's water resources.

The 1st Limpopo Joint Basin Survey (JBS) and Environmental Flows (Eflows) assessment is a milestone for the basin as it successfully integrated citizen science with traditional modern scientific research, resulting in a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of the basin’s water resources.

Lead consultant for the Limpopo JBS, Professor Gordon O’Brien said this 6 February during a JBS/Eflows capacity-building workshop organized by the LIMCOM Secretariat for the four Member States that share the basin – Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Prof Gordon said by involving local communities, the JBS and Eflows assessment not only gathered valuable data but also empowered citizens and fostered a sense of ownership over local environmental resources.

“We needed to understand how the systems change over time as well as get as much information as possible, so we relied heavily on local communities for our survey,” Prof. Gordon said, adding that it is critical to always utilize local knowledge as it provides incentives to solve problems with local ingenuity and resources.

The JBS/Eflows capacity-building workshop is one of a series of trainings planned by LIMCOM to capacitate and support Member States on the JBS and Eflows assessment.

LIMCOM undertook its JBS abd Eflows assessment in August/September 2024 to assess the current state of the river basin’s water resources, ecosystems and socio-economic conditions to inform policymaking aimed at preserving and enhancing the basin’s ecological, hydrological and socio-economic well-being for present and future generations.

Findings from the survey will provide a foundation for developing a comprehensive and updated Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plan for the basin and pave the way for establishing a transboundary river health monitoring team in the basin.

The Limpopo JBS and Eflows assessment is being executed under the project “Integrated Transboundary River Basin Management for the Sustainable Development of the Limpopo River Basin.”

The project, which is being implemented by LIMCOM 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), aims to uplift the living standards of the basin’s population and conserve the basin’s resources and ecosystem services.