Mmiliki wa Mradi: NEMC & SUA
Wakala Mtendaji: UNEP
Mfadhili wa Mradi: UNEP
Muda wa Utekelezaji: 3yrs

Nchi zinazoshiriki: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania and France

Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3000 Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro, Tanzania, https://www.sua.ac.tz

&

NEMC, P.O. BOX 63154, Regent Estate Plot No 29/30 Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, https://www.nemc.or.tz 

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION

Inadequate management of river basins has resulted into degradation of water catchments. Consequently, it has affected river flows in both quantity and quality with devastating impacts on the downstream including the coastal and marine ecosystems through increased inflow of nutrients, sediment deposits, and variation of flow regimes. The operationalization and implementation of Environmental Flow Assessment (EFA) in catchments connected to the Western Indian Ocean and other areas in Tanzania has not been done, mainly due to lack of capacity and resources, lack of awareness on the importance of EFA, lack of stakeholders’ support, institutional roadblocks and conflicts of interest, lack of ecological monitoring systems to evaluate changes in their functioning or status to identify appropriate measures and lack of tools to support proper integration of environmental flow and natural resources management. This project focuses on addressing inadequate management of river catchments and basins which results into changes of river flows, degradation of water quality and changes in sediment loads for provisioning of sustainable environmental flow. The project will assess the environmental flows in the upper catchment of the Mbarali River catchment and pilot the implementation with the involvement of Rufiji Basin Water Board and the beneficiary communities.

MAIN OBJECTIVE

To reduce impacts/stress from land-based sources and activities and sustainably manage critical coastal-riverine ecosystems through Environmental Flow Assessment and implementation with the support of partnerships a t national and regional levels.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To enhance Capacity for Environmental Flow Assessment and Restoration for Sustainable Water Flows,
2. To conduct Environmental Flow Assessments in pilot river catchments to guide sustainable management of water flows,
3. Implementation of recommended flows for sustainable water resources management

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

1. Report on land-based activities that have impact to river flows
2. Flow assessment methods in the catchment documented
3. Inventory of biophysical data to establish current status of the river watershed
4. Suitable EFA methods for use by specific catchments and DST guidelines customized for use
5. EFA guidelines effectively operationalized, monitored and evaluated.

OUTCOME

1. Capacity of water and natural resources managers to conduct EFA and restorations for sustainable river flows in the catchments enhanced.
2. Environmental Flow Assessments in pilot river catchment of Mbarali conducted and used to guide sustainable management of water flows.
3. Improved water resources condition (both quantity and quality), ecological condition and management through implementation of the recommended E-flows.

SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICABILITY

• The project will increase institutional and human resources capacity at the district level and sectoral levels. This will be complimented by capacity building on awareness and technical skills among stakeholders at all levels and promote sharing of best practices among implementers and stakeholders.
• The project will encourage and facilitate full participation of communities, CBOs and NGOs within the catchments / districts, share benefits and observe gender issues / human rights in order to encourage participation and sustainability.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The coordinating institution (NEMC)’s Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (PMEU) will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation (M&E). The Project Coordinator (PC) will report on the project performance to the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) through the Director of Environmental Research and Management (DERM) in NEMC. The project will establish a detailed result framework for individual components for this project based on the existing institutional guidelines on project M&E framework (NEMC, 2014) in collaboration with SUA. UNEP will monitor the implementation of the Grant Agreement through routine supervision missions and review of M&E data.