LIMCOM reviews basin-wide assessment on Eflows

Summary

To promote a harmonized transboundary approach to implementing Eflows in the basin, LIMCOM carried out a study to identify the capacity needs of its Member States to strengthen joint environmental water management practices and co-develop a holistic Eflows framework for the basin.

The LIMCOM Environmental Monitoring Task Team met on 20-23 April in Mbombela, South Africa to review a basin-wide assessment on required environmental flows (Eflows) management scenarios and ecological risks in the Limpopo River Basin (LRB).

Eflows are the quantity and quality of water needed to keep freshwater and estuarine ecosystems healthy. Ecological risk refers to the threats that may prevent these ecosystems from staying balanced and supporting life when under too much stress.

To promote a harmonized transboundary approach to implementing Eflows in the basin, LIMCOM carried out a study to identify the capacity needs of its Member States to strengthen joint environmental water management practices and co-develop a holistic Eflows framework for the basin.

The findings of this study were reviewed at a basin-wide workshop held at White River in Mbombela.

“The technical workshop reviewed the Probabilistic Flow framework models and looked at how changes in river flows affect the health of the river ecosystem,” LIMCOM Environment and Water Resources Management Specialist, Mr. Zvikomborero Manyangadze said.

The Probabilistic Flow (ProbFlo) framework is a scientific tool designed to understand how changes in river flows affect ecosystems and the services they provide to people.

The workshop brought together members of the LIMCOM Environmental Monitoring Task Team drawn from the four riparian states of Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as technical experts from the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA).

LIMCOM and the GLTFCA share a common geographical landscape and confront similar challenges, hence deeper cooperation is essential to deepen joint management of shared water resources in the Limpopo Basin.

LIMCOM’s main goal is to move from technical assessments to a unified, basin-wide implementation strategy. This requires harmonizing the environmental flow assessments and implementation approaches with the specific national e-flows policies of its Member States.