THE ECOSYSTEMS APPROACH TO LIVELIHOODS AND DISASTER

MANAGEMENT

By Admore Chakadenga

The campaign to put the ecosystems into mainstream ecological issues is over. The

question that remain unaddressed is do the various critical stakeholders in any given

ecosystem appreciate the fundamental principles of this approach? It is the central

theme and conviction of this discussion that without the effective upholding of the

ecosystems approach, the outlook of biodiversity will be challenged and the resilience

of communities to shocks and disasters will be compromised. The ecosystems

approach does not aim for short term economic gains but aims to optimise gains from

an ecosystem without damaging it.

The ecosystems approach has the precautionary principle as the fundamental

principle. The Precautionary Principle is referred to in the 1992 Rio Declaration on

Environment and Development; “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible

damage, scientific uncertainty shall not be used to postpone cost-effective measures to

prevent environmental degradation”.

An ecosystem according to article 2 of the convention on biodiversity ‘means a

dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro –organism communities and their non

living environment interacting as a functional unit’. According to (www.fws.int/ ) an

ecosystem was defined a geographic area including all living organisms (people,

animals and microorganisms), the physical surroundings (soil, water and air) and the

natural cycles that sustain them. It therefore follows that an ecosystem refers to a

home for both living and non living organisms that may facilitate interaction of these
organisms. The fifth conference parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

defined the ecosystems approach defined the ecosystems approach as “a strategy for

the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promote

conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way” It follows from this definition

that the ecosystems approach help communities three key objectives which are

conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable sharing of resources and benefits

arising from use of generic resources. Attainment of these objectives is key to

effective management of ecosystems.

The Convention to Conservation and Biodiversity adopted the ecosystems approach

as a primary framework for action under the convention which means the ecosystems

approach is quite pivotal. The convention offered eight practical recommendations for

implementing an integrated approach to disaster management. These are 1. Invest in

effective early warning and preparedness measures. 2. Establish

effective emergency response procedures which include a basic three-

point environmental contingency plan (protecting water supplies,

safeguarding hazardous materials, and protecting critical ecosystems

for human well-being and biodiversity). 3. Engage in rapid

environmental assessments and post-disaster clean-up operations that

include minimum environmental standards to minimize long-term

recovery problems.4. Integrate long-term development planning —

particularly related to site selection, demand for construction

materials, waste management and zoning — into recovery and

reconstruction initiatives; 5. Rehabilitate and restore ecosystems for

livelihoods. Invest in restoring and maintaining ecosystems for

protection, provisions and biodiversity and ensure the participation of

local people in this work. 6. Invest in mitigation strategies to strengthen

natural and artificial defences and invest in local capacity-building; 7.

Coordinate risk reduction measures at the regional, national and local

levels, 8. Institutionalize and integrate ecosystem-based management,

development planning and disaster management. (IUCN report, 2006)

(Lancet, 2007) observed that the issue of environmental degradation was becoming a

threat to livelihoods across cultures. In Zimbabwe the CAMPFIRE programme has

been introduced to within the context of the ecosystems approach in order to conserve

the environment and maximize benefits to local communities. In areas where the

CAMPFIRE programme was introduced locals appreciated the importance o

preserving the ecosystems as they were also beneficiaries of the proceeds from the

conservation programmes. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is a good example

of the most established wildlife areas in Southern Africa. Before the establishment of

the Transfrontier Park, animals would move across the borders of the three countries

and poaching was high in Mozambuque where animals where either killed or injured

resulting in losses to the three counties. With its establishment all the three countries

are protecting the animals and are benefiting a lot from tourism revenues.

Where an ecosystems approach is not implemented the tragedy of the commons

usually results. Long term resource management objectives will be constrained by the

short term of the people. A case study of Chivi district illustrates this case. The

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) produced clear evidence that ecosystems such

as coral reefs, mangroves, wetlands and mountain forests, in addition to supporting

people’s day-to-day livelihoods, are also important in mitigating the impact of natural
hazards. Fore example in the droughts during recurrent droughts that affected Zimbabwe

rural households relied on wild fruits for survival.

Studies by (Travors 2009) in a number of Sub Sahara Africa have revealed that a

significant number of environmental challenges are generated by adverse effects

associated with Global warming. Similarly a study by (Bowers et al 2005) concluded

that vast climatic research has pointed to the fact that the rural poor are more

vulnerable when it comes to adopting strategies to counter the detrimental effects of

associated with environmental and climatic changes.

The ecosystems approach is intended to mitigate the effects of climate change and

also poverty alleviation, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity loss and many other

environmental issues (Gilberts, 2009). This calls for the need to incalculate tolerable

habits in society. Some habits like setting up veiled fires in order to catch mice result

in total severe destruction of ecosystems.

There is a close link between the ecosystems approach and the sustainable

development. As a baseline element, of the ecosystems approach it must be

recognised that humans with their cultural diversity are an integral part of the

ecosystems. Conceptually the ecosystems approach is expressed as the relationship

between humans and the surrounding ecosystem (Kirkby and Ronald, 2010). This

implies that human and ecosystem well being are positively correlated. Most

livelihoods promotion activities implemented now emphasise the ecosystems

approach. It can be concluded that the ecosystems approach is one of the most
important principles of sustainable environmental management at all levels in a given

society.

There is therefore a symbiotic relationship between man and the environment. In for

man to be able to cope better with the effects of disasters, a healthy environment

should be maintained.

References

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) report

(2006), Ecosystems, Livelihoods and Disasters AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

TO DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK

R. D. Smith and E. Maltby (2006), Using the Ecosystem Approach to

implement the CBD.A global synthesis report drawing lessons from three

regional pathfinder workshops.

www.cdd.int/ decision/cop accessed on 29 March 2011

www.fws.int/ as accessed on 29 March 2011