Water resources policy and administrative management

DPE intends to make a contribution to the protection of Let eng-La-Letsie, an area in the Quthing district declared a Selected Development Area to further programme of Government of Lesotho to protect wetlands. Whereas communities have agreed to stop using the area as grazeland, herds of stock are found in the areas, a practise that is not even deterred by the impounding bearing heavy charges. DPE seeks to: Mobilise communities to keep commitment to protecting Let eng La-Letsie as Selected Development Area by: (i) Finding views of herders, community members, farmers, councils, chiefs etc on why the stock is not removed from the area; (ii) Use the community feedback to invite different ministries (their head & district) offices to the village to address the concerns. Through these dialogue(s) Community-Ministries partnerships to address these challenges would be made. DPE as an NGO would use its advocacy and engagement skills to support the process. (iii) Facilitate mini grass planting pilots in the selected electoral divisions to be used as demonstration that declining rangeland can be reclaimed. This would be used as a platform to keep people engaged in the positive way in the biodiversity dialogue. This will eventually help them see that rangeland can be improved. DPE shall work with chiefs to reach out to herders, farmers and other sectors of society through public dialogues, joint & group/sector meeting and workshops. DPE intervention responds to the two focal area priorities of GEF namely: Biodiversity and International Waters. DPE intervention fits into the Biodiversity outcomes of the GEF as it seeks to empower communities to relieve selected development area of pressure from livestock, develop grazing lands and promote alternative community livelihoods. It speaks to International Waters as its ultimate goal is protection of wetlands. It is also an intervention that is informed by the two DPE programmes in the new strategic plan: Peace Education & Community Development as well as Public Participation & Policy Dialogue.

Lesotho