ALCOM                                                                                         GCP/INT/555/SWE Aquaculture for Local Community Development Programme     GCP/RAF/277/BEL ALCOM Report No. 25 REVIEW OF INTRODUCTION AND TRANSLOCATION OF AQUATIC SPECIES IN THE LIMPOPO RIVER SYSTEM AND REGIONAL CO-OPERATION FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT by Henk van der Mheen Aquaculturist November 1997 Partners: IUCN                                       The World Conservation Union Table of Contents

Summary

Many river systems are shared between different countries, and activities that impact on the water resource in one country may therefore have a direct effect in other countries. Co-operation between countries is crucial for sustainable management of the river resources.

FAO with the assistance of IUCN organised a review of the inter-country co-operation regarding the introduction of aquatic species in the Limpopo river system. It reviewed the present legal and institutional situation in the four countries sharing the river, as well as international and regional institutions relevant for improving the co-operation. The consultation concluded that information exchange between countries as well as the various national departments and organisations within countries is critical for the establishment of rules and regulations to harmonise mechanisms to authorise introductions and to control the introduction of unwanted aquatic species. The consultation further came up with a strategy and action plans to achieve this harmonisation.

This publication was made possible through support provided by the Regional Centre for Southern Africa, Gaborone, Botswana, U.S. Agency for International Development, under the terms of the Grant #690-0283-A-00-5950-00. The opinions expressed therein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development nor IUCN-The World Conservation Union.

ALCOM, Aquatic resource Management for Local Community Programme, executed by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), with its main office in Harare and projects in the SADC region is funded by Belgium and Sweden.

Its aim is to assist member countries in improving the living standards of rural populations through the practice of appropriate aquatic resource management techniques.

The presentation of material in this publication is that of the Programme and does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Preface

Throughout the world alien plants, animals and micro-organisms which have been translocated to new areas beyond their natural range by human action have been a blessing (in some cases) and a problem in others. Humans, it seems, have a particular enthusiasm for transporting other living organisms around with them. We like to enhance, improve, or simply just add to the diversity of life around us by introducing organisms from elsewhere. The problem is we do not think deeply about these actions, or consequences, and tend to look at the issue from a narrow perspective, the perspective of the immediate benefit.

Thus predatory fishes are introduced, for example, to improve sport fishing facilities, without concern for the impact those sportfishes will have on other organisms in the environment. The saga of Nile Perch in Lake Victoria is a classic example of how radical the impact of introductions might be. Introductions are often made for simple reasons: the introduction of a species for aquaculture or of an aquatic plant because it looks pretty in a garden pond. It does not matter what happens beyond the immediate circumstance. That apparently is how many of the major pest species like Eichhornia crassipes or Salvinia molesta entered African waterways. The economic costs to countries that share the waterways clogged by these aliens have been very high indeed.

Habitat destruction and alien organism impact are the major threats to the majority of IUCN-listed endangered fishes in Africa. Part of the problem is the nature of the aquatic environment itself. Humans have found it virtually impossible to manage the aquatic environment effectively, especially containing introduced substances or organisms. Aquatic systems frequently mark political boundaries whilst at the same time transgressing those same boundaries ecologically and spatially. Rivers are dynamic longitudinal systems, ecologically organised as catchments, a fact invariably in contest with human political or administrative boundaries. Consequently organisms introduced in one area will, sooner or later, reach other areas in the same catchment. This is a problem if not all those sharing a catchment want the organism or consider its presence beneficial.

Herein lies a major problem for neighbouring nations in southern Africa where natural resources, especially water, are increasing in value through increasing demand from rising human populations. But not only is the water itself of value but the fauna and flora it sustains have both intrinsic and extrinsic values. The conservation of fauna and flora therefore is a matter of mutual concern to neighbours sharing aquatic systems.

After a long period of regional tension in southern Africa, the situation has changed and most parties are ready to discuss issues of mutual interest such as shared water systems. It is easy to accept that common policies are essential for the effective management of environmental problems arising from shared ownership. It is however not as easy to come to an agreement as to what the best policy might be for all parties. In addition, our knowledge of the environment and its biodiversity is far from complete. The unequal acquisition of knowledge about the natural environment is a legacy of the divided nations in southern Africa.

So it is very useful to assess the situation, to start defining areas where information is required and talking with one another about the needs for common policy development around shared boundary systems. This is what this workshop was really all about.

I was most grateful to attend the workshop and make a small contribution. I know a lot of basic groundwork was covered and is well summarised in the present document. ALCOM has played a most important and valuable role in starting this discussion - one in which it was recognised that what is a problem for one partner is really a problem for all, and if solutions are to be found to the problem of introduced aliens they have to be solutions accepted and applied by all parties.

It is recognised that this is only a start and much work still has to be done, but the mere fact that it is a start is important. I commend ALCOM for taking this step and for getting the process going on what is a most important issue of mutual concern for all the countries in southern Africa.

Professor Paul H Skelton
Director, JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Grahamstown, South Africa

Acronyms

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. RIVER SYSTEMS

2.1 Rivers

2.2 River management

2.3 Biodiversity

3. FISH SPECIES DISTRIBUTION

3.1 Factors influencing fish distribution

3.1.1 Physical factors

3.1.2 Biological factors

3.1.3 Ecological factors

3.1.4 Human factors

3.2 Introductions

4. THE LIMPOPO SYSTEM

4.1 The rivers

4.2 Fish species

4.3 Introductions

4.3.1 Chinese carp

5. POLICY AND REGULATIONS CONCERNING INTRODUCTIONS

5.1 National Legislation

5.1.1 Zimbabwe

5.1.2 Botswana

5.1.3 Mozambique

5.1.4 South Africa

5.2 International

5.3 Regional (SADC)

5.4 Sub regional

6. DISCUSSION

7. CONCLUSIONS

8. STRATEGY

9. ACTION PLANS

9.1 National and Regional Follow-up

APPENDIX 1: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

APPENDIX 2: PROGRAMME

APPENDIX 3: RELEVANT LITERATURE ON LIMPOPO SYSTEM

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