Bio-diversity

1. PROPOSAL SECTION A: PROJECT RATIONALE AND APPROACH This section provides the rationale and background of the project, as well as the proposed approach. 1.1 Project Summary Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a rapidly accelerating vicious cycle of environmental and bio-diversity degradation thereby threatening the ecosystem and the natural resource base s self sustaining mechanisms as soils are being eroded, tree species disappearing, environmental pollution escalating climate change effects. All these issues must be dealt with simultaneously for the cycle to be broken. Some major environmental issues that are related to aquaculture and fisheries development and irrigation development in Zimbabwe are soil erosion, siltation, water pollution and its undesirable ecological impacts. Poverty reduction, bio-diversity and environmental sustainability cannot be separated. This is because; there exists a threshold below which those failing the daily dilemma of survival become destructive to simply survive. Poor rains in the past decade have affected the livelihoods of many families (both urban and rural) and no easy reprieve is expected because of the ongoing global warming with changes in climate. Zimbabwe has favorable climatic conditions and geography, which makes the practice of aquaculture easy and viable. Hence, promoting biodiversity through sustainable wetland/marshland rehabilitation, conservation and implementation of Integrated Agriculture -Aquaculture (IAA) in Zimbabwe has been identified by AZ as a priority area for setting up demonstration project on the selected perennial wetland resources in Muchapondwa in Domboshava. Muchapondwa Community wetland site has been afflicted by unorthodox stream-bank agriculture and illegal gold panning activities along the Nyaure River which are rampant throughout the whole of Mazowe river basin. The lack of knowledge and awareness on land use planning has also been cited as contributing to the accelerated degradation in wetland areas. The Nyaure wetland rivulets stretching over several kilometers supports 1,370 households which heavily rely on market gardening livelihoods by selling their produce to wholesale buyers. This project will directly benefit 80 households spread across the Muchapondwa village within Ward 14, approximately translating to 480 individuals at a mean size of 6 persons per household. Successful rehabilitation of the wetland site will see the community sustainably harnessing abundant agro-production opportunities which are inherent in such areas. This will ultimately enhance the community s livelihoods, socio-economic status and their general dietary diversity. The overall goal of the project is to develop a stable agro-ecosystem in which Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture (IAA) is promoted to enhance bio-diversity and ensure environmental security together with food security for the resource poor and traditionally marginalized, vulnerable households. This project links well with the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEFSGP) country strategy thematic areas of biodiversity through Country Programme Strategy (CPS) Objective 2 on Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into production landscapes through community initiatives and actions and also land degradation through CPS Objective 7 on Conservation and sustainable use into production landscapes through community initiatives and actions . Mazowe catchment area feed into the Zambezi river system which tallies the project with the GEF s goal on international waters. The total cost of the programme is US$160,396.49 over 36 months. The community will contribute US$46,200.00 in kind and other sources will contribute US$16,700.00 in kind of the total programme costs. Aquaculture Zimbabwe will contribute US$47,880.00 in kind and it is requesting US$49,616.49 from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP) for setting up Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture systems, wetland rehabilitation and conservation activities as well as strengthening the capacity of the target community. 1.2 Organizational Background and Capacity to implement the project Aquaculture Zimbabwe Trust (Registration MA881/2008), a wholly Zimbabwean initiative, was established in early 2008 to support aquaculture projects that encourage the use of creative solutions to poverty through freshwater aquaculture and fisheries in all the local communities and enabling them to effectively participate, with credibility, in policy dialogue through representation at higher level fora so that the voices of these resource poor farmers can have a better impact in the development of agro- policies. The Trust is governed by a substantive Board of Trustees that sits at least once every quarter. The Board of Trustees is composed with men and women who have dedicated all their lives working in the field of livestock, aquaculture and fisheries with abundant local, regional and international experience, banker and a lawyer. The Chairperson is an accomplished aquaculturist and biologist, with over 20 years experience in the field. For guidance and wise counsel, the Trust relies on the maturity, experience and expertise of Dr Stuart Hargreaves who is the patron of the organization. Dr Hargreaves is a renowned veterinary scientist with over 38 years of experience in the control of livestock diseases (both aquatic and terrestrial) in southern Africa and Europe. The organisation has a Technical

Zimbabwe