The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has joined forces with the government to launch a new Lake Kariba inshore fisheries management plan. This collaborative effort aims to ensure the sustainable management of fish stocks in one of the continent’s largest artificial lakes. The plan seeks to promote environmental protection, economic development, and food security, while also fostering greater cooperation between local fishing communities and government agencies. As Africa’s marine resources face growing threats from climate change, pollution, and overfishing, this new initiative underscores the critical role that international organizations and governments can play in preserving our natural resources for future generations.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry (MECTHI) have launched a 10-year management plan for small-scale fisheries in Lake Kariba. The Lake Kariba Inshore Fisheries Management Plan aims to achieve optimal and sustainable use of fisheries resources while protecting the ecosystem. The plan was developed through a consultative process involving community members, leaders, fishermen, and other stakeholders from all fishing zones around Lake Kariba and the Zambezi River.
Small-scale fisheries face many challenges that make them vulnerable to global climatic and socioeconomic changes. Enhancing their sustainability is essential for improving fisheries management, making fish more available for food security, and stimulating economic growth. Since 2021, the FAO and MECTHI have facilitated the resuscitation of fisheries co-management structures through research and capacity building in the application of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) to enhance the resilience of small-scale fisheries. The FMP is one of the key outputs of this Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) and demonstrates the commitment of stakeholders to sustainable utilization of fisheries resources.
According to the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe, Patrice Talla, the Fisheries Management Plan is part of the Blue Transformation vision, which aims to promote sustainability and resilience in fisheries and aquaculture. The plan contributes to Zimbabwe’s national targets and plans for sustainable utilization of fisheries resources over the next ten years.
The FMP’s objectives, principles, methodology, and implementation pillars were critiqued and adopted during the launch, with stakeholders emphasizing the importance of joint efforts to implement the plan and take advantage of cross-sectoral policy linkages. Lake Kariba is a shared water resource with neighboring Zambia, and therefore the plan’s launch called for learning and sharing experiences to enhance sustainable transboundary inland fisheries management in the Zambezi River basin. To affirm the agreements set in the plan, national fisheries key stakeholders signed the Kariba Declaration, which asserts their commitment to implementing sustainable Lake Kariba Inshore Fisheries Management.
The Lake Kariba Inshore Fisheries Management Plan aligns with FAO’s strategic framework to transform agri-food systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, achieving better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind. It accords an opportunity to meet a growing demand for fish and fishery products while maintaining a sustainable socio-ecological system around Lake Kariba. The management plan will assist in unlocking partnerships for activities that are crucial in achieving the objectives and desired outcomes specified in the strategy. It marks the beginning of a new era of sustainable fishing practices that will ensure that future generations will benefit from the fishery of Lake Kariba, as it is part of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) goal of ensuring food and nutrition sufficiency to all and improving the health of ecosystems.
In conclusion, the Lake Kariba Inshore Fisheries Management Plan has been launched to achieve optimal and sustainable use of fisheries resources while protecting the ecosystem. This 10-year management plan was developed through a consultative process that involved various stakeholders from all fishing zones around Lake Kariba and the Zambezi River. The plan’s launch called for joint efforts to implement it and take advantage of cross-sectoral policy linkages to promote sustainable inland fisheries management in the Zambezi River basin. The Kariba Declaration affirms the commitment of national fisheries key stakeholders to implementing sustainable Lake Kariba Inshore Fisheries Management. The plan aligns with FAO’s strategic framework to promote sustainable and resilient agri-food systems to achieve better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
