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Wetland
Action has two main aims:
- Ecologically
sustainable management of wetland resources to meet socio-economic needs and environmental functions
- Socially sensitive wetland management for the long-term enhancement of livelihood benefits and poverty reduction
By
helping raise awareness of the value of wetlands and ways to
manage them sustainably, these areas will be seen more positively and their future contributions to livelihoods and to maintaining environmental services will be better assured.
Wetland
Action is a European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG). It
is a not-for-profit organisation. This arrangement allows
organisations of different types to become members or associate
members, and work together towards specific goals despite their
different legal status.
Wetland
Action has been formed particularly to enhance the synergy between
field research and implementation capacity. It facilitates collaboration
between different levels:
- local NGOs supporting community-based initiatives;
- international
institutions involved in development co-operation;
- government agencies involved in wetland policy and management;
- research
organisations concerned with sustainable resource management.
Wetland
Action has a permanent pool of expertise in Ethiopia, Malawi, Netherlands, Tanzania, South Africa, UK and Zambia. It provides technical assistance, undertakes research and manages projects in a variety of fields including GIS, biodiversity assessments, socio-economic analyses, policy research and briefing, wetland rehabilitation and economic evaluation and advocacy for sustainable wetland use.
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Case
Study: Wetland
Action in Practice - The Ethiopian Wetlands Research
Programme
The Ethiopian
Wetlands Research Programme (EWRP) was set up by members of Wetland Action
to investigate the sustainable use of wetlands in Illubabor
Zone, South-west Ethiopia. EWRP was initiated in 1996
in response to concerns over the increasing intensive
agricultural development of wetlands in the area, which
was causing their degradation and a loss of their associated
functions and benefits.
In
response to this situation, EWRP sought to identify
the various factors affecting wetland utilisation and
identify the potential for the long-term sustainable
management of wetland resources. The first step in addressing
these aims involved collaboration with a range of wetland
stakeholders - local communities, NGOs (including IUCN)
and government departments - to inform and gain direction for the
research activities.The subsequent implementation phase
of the project was characterised by an interdisciplinary
approach involving various stakeholders in a range of
studies including investigations of wetland hydrology,
biodiversity, the socio-economics of wetland use, wetland
policy making and indigenous wetland management practices.
The
project was successful in that it analysed the information
received from these various studies and was able to
draw attention to key practices and recommendations
for facilitating the sustainable management of wetlands.
It then went on to disseminate these findings at the
national, local and community levels and reports from
the study area show that there has been a change in
the attitudes of government workers and local communities
towards wetland use. Even at an early stage, some
farmers who have modified their wetland management practices
in the light of their experiences with the project,
are reporting an increase in wetland benefits.
The
project led to the establishment of a local NGO, EWNRA (see Links - Wetland Action Associates) which
is pursuing these ideas through field projects both
in Illubabor and elsewhere in Ethiopia. |
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