The Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency Managing strategically and adaptively

Kevin Rogers and Thomas Gyedo-Ababio

1.5 million people2 International borders3 District Municipalities10 Local Municipalities26 Irrigation Boards35% area is nature reserves37% area is agriculture

14% forestry6% irrigation

20% semi-urban to dense rural communitiesHigh poverty and illiteracy levelsETC!!!!

2009

• Small, extremely dedicated staff and Governing Board conflict

• Functions had not been assigned and DWA “apron strings” firmly tied

• No operations budget (and for one year no budget at all)

• 2 years of “building the institution” and establishing forums

• Business and other plans written by outsiders “for” not “with” staff

• Plans based on stepwise achievement of policy directives

• Policy directives are “end” objectives but no “means” objectives

• Stakeholder engagement “there” but not explicitly central

• Inter-Stakeholder and stakeholder-ICMA/DWA conflict

• Stakeholder fatigue setting in because Forums had “nowhere to go”

• Staff morale dropping very fast but dedication remained for most

Commercial farmers

Emerging farmers

Municipalities/Domestic

IndustryWater user associations

Catchment management forums

Water service providers

Traditional leaders

Community based organisations

Mining

Forestry and sugar co-

ops

Non-governmental organisations

Provisional and National conservation

Tourism

Government departments

(including DWA)

International stakeholders

Inkomati CMA

STAKEHOLDER GROUPS IN THE INKOMATI WATER MANAGEMENT AREA

Academia

Environmental and hydrological professionals

Current state

Many factors affect the both the trajectory and the desired “system”

S – Social T – Technical E – Economic E – Environmental P – Political

Highly variable and/or

uncertain

Getting to a shared future

Decision outcomes are largely driven by peoples’ value systems.

Achieving a shared understanding of the VSTEEP System is imperative for

decision making.

V – Values

Desired “system”

that “changes”

Reality

Management of Common Pool Resources

“Efficient” but Naïve Approach

S – Social T – Technical E – Economic E – Environment P – Political

Shared future that “changes”

Shared value set.

V – Values

Common Pool Resources

Vital attributes

Determinants

Threats

Context

S T E E P

V-STEEP Analysis

Strategic Adaptive Management

Select

VISION

PREDICT

EVALUATE

SELECT

1

3

2

4

6

LEARN

5

7

Adaptive Decision Making

3

1

Objectives Hierarchy

Obj. 1 Obj. 3

Vision

Obj. 2

2b

2aAdaptive Planning 2

Values Context

Vision

Vital Attributes

Determinants

Threats

Monitoring and Adaptive goal revision

4

Research

Operations

Models

TPC

Monitoring

Decision

Shared Rationality

Adaptive Planning of a Shared Future

VALUES/ PRINCIPLES

List vital attributes

Determinants, threats, constraints

Evaluate attributes

Objectives

Prioritize Objectives

Expected outcomes

DESIRED FUTURE

CONTEXT

Scoping the decision making environment

Understanding the “V-STEEP” system

to be managed

Where we want to go (ends) and how to get

there (means)

Problems of 2009 were mostly in the past by 2011Especially better working relations with Gov. Board, DWA and

all stakeholder bodies

Adaptive Planning with new paradigm thinking re-orientated ICMA to operational and participative IRWM

• Became focussed on a shared (V-STEEP) future

• Became thoroughly stakeholder centred

• Realigned all Plans to meet operational and

stakeholder needs with both ends and means

objectives

• Established an Equity Working Group

• Regular “learning/unlearning” sessions, amongst other

activities, help CMA manage strategically and adaptively

The Inkomati CatchmentManagement Strategy

INKOMATI CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AGENCY

A Stakeholder Centred Process for the Inkomati Catchment Management

Strategy

Stakeholders provided guidanceto the technical team that drafted the CMS.

Process engaged by +400 bodies in 5 workshops

A set of medium to long term strategic action programmes to achieve catchment water use that is

equitable, efficient and sustainable

S – Social T – Technical E – Economic E – Environment P – Political

Shared future that “changes”

Shared value set.

V – Values

Common Pool Resources

Vital attributes

Determinants

Threats

Context

S T E E P

V-STEEP Analysis

Strategic Adaptive Management

Select

VISION

PREDICT

EVALUATE

SELECT

1

3

2

4

6

LEARN

5

7

Adaptive Decision Making

3

1

Objectives Hierarchy

Obj. 1 Obj. 3

Vision

Obj. 2

2b

2aAdaptive Planning 2

Values Context

Vision

Vital Attributes

Determinants

Threats

Monitoring and Adaptive goal revision

4

Research

Operations

Models

TPC

Monitoring

Decision

Shared Rationality