Executive Summary

This report was compiled, on the invitation of the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) International Secretariat, by 11 environmental information specialists from southern Africa, with the assistance of two specialists from international organizations. The specialists covered the fields of climate, atmosphere, hydrology, terrestrial ecology, desertification and biodiversity, and have a wide experience of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region (see Annex 1). During 1999, country assessments were made of user needs in both the scientific and policy communities. This process led to the identification of a wide range of experts and expertise in each country and formed the basis for organizing a workshop to review the GTOS programme, and its relevance to country priorities. The expert working group convened in Pretoria in February 2000 to consider the viability, role and establishment of a southern African regional component of the Global Terrestrial Observation System (GTOS-SAF).

Their findings are that:

There is a unique, unfilled and useful regional niche for GTOS in southern Africa, provided that it recognizes, builds on and links to the existing environmental information providers and users in the region.

Its key role should be that of a data broker. Facilitating the movement of information laterally (between disciplines, and between nations in the region) and vertically (from the national scale, to the regional scale and global scale, and vice versa). This would involve improving the availability, analysis and communication of information relating to changes in land quality, loss of biodiversity, pollution, climate change and freshwater systems from regional to global scales.

SAf would also need to perform ‘added-value’ activities of its own, in order to survive in the current competitive funding environment. Examples of added-value could be actions in supporting the periodic regional State of the Environment Reports, briefing papers, and regional syntheses in relation to meeting some of the data and information requirements of the international environmental conventions.

The most sensible geographical range for SAf would be the SADC countries. The most viable mode of operation in southern Africa will be to seek formal recognition by the environmental components of SADC, in particular the SADC-Environment and Land Management Sector (ELMS) and SADC-Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR). SAf should also attempt to be fully integrated into the SADC-ELMS and FANR programme of action and, if possible, co-locate with their activities.

It is the recommendation of the group that GTOS proceed to establish a pilot regional SAf, by undertaking the following actions:

Prepare a submission to SADC-ELMS and SADC-FANR presenting its proposed activities in the region, pointing out the close alignment with the stated aims of SADC, and requesting recognition as an approved project of SADC, as well as requesting whatever non-financial support is appropriate.

Establish a SAf internet site and load it with information regarding the sources of relevant information for the region through the use of an information management system.

Assist with the formation of a regional consortium to develop proposals to suitable funding agencies for two initial activities.

1. The development of a regional land cover information system.

2. The collation and analysis of data in support of regional State of Environment Reporting.

Background

During the twentieth century it has become apparent that the collective and cumulative consequences of human activities are altering the environment at both a local and global scale. These changes are of a type and magnitude that could threaten the capacity of the biosphere to support life and limit the options for further human development. Recognizing this, the nations of the world have agreed to several treaties. They have also created a number of organizations, whose aim is to understand, monitor and regulate changes in the environment, with the intention to avoid actions which are detrimental to the global environment and to sustainable development.

It is among the functions of governments to advance the well-being of their citizens and to protect the natural resources within their territorial jurisdiction. To this end, all nations have systems to monitor the state of their own environment. These systems operate with varying degrees of effectiveness, comprehensiveness and compatibility with the systems operated by neighbouring countries. There is an important class of environmental issues which are manifested at scales greater than single nations, that is, at the scale of regions or the entire globe. It is only possible to understand and manage these issues through cooperative action between nations.

Five international organizations^[1] recognized the need for an improved operational mechanism to supply information relevant to the detection, mitigation and avoidance of environmental problems, particularly at scales greater than individual nations. This need is exemplified by the information demands imposed by environmental treaties such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. To address this need a Global Observing System is being developed, which for practical reasons consists of three coordinated and integrated subsystems: a Global Climate Observing System, a Global Ocean Observing System and a Global Terrestrial Observing System. Each of these systems is being implemented, according to their own schedule and operational plan.

The Global Terrestrial Operating System (GTOS) was launched in 1996 and is developing through a number of initiatives. An important activity is the initiation of a set of global- and regional-scale pilot projects. One such project is an exploration of the feasibility of, and requirements for, a Global Terrestrial Observing System in southern Africa (‘GTOS-SAf’). A survey of regional needs and existing Environmental Information Systems was commissioned. With this survey as background, an expert group was convened to recommend to GTOS how it might proceed with implementation in the region.

Mandate of this Report

The recommendations which follow were drafted by a southern African expert group, on the request of the Global Terrestrial Observation System International Secretariat. The group (Annex 1) was selected to cover both the range of environmental disciplines within the scope of GTOS, and the geographical distribution of the SAf project, covering Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Southern African Development Community environmental bodies. The views of the participants are based on their expertise, and not in the form of representatives of the organizations or countries from which they were drawn. The recommendations are not binding on their institutions or governments, and not even to GTOS. The objective is to provide GTOS with a considered opinion, rooted in regional experience, regarding the role that GTOS could play in southern Africa, and how it might implement such a role.

The Mission and Goals of SAf

It is the opinion of the expert group that the mission of GTOS-SAf should be:

To enhance the access by policy-makers, resource managers, researchers and others to the information needed to detect, understand and respond to changes in the capacity of southern African land and water systems to sustain development. It will achieve this by:

1. building on existing environmental information systems and expertise;

2. working with other initiatives where appropriate;

3. focusing on the SADC region, and

4. concentrating on the issues of biodiversity, pollutants, climate change, and food.

The goal should be to establish, within a five-year period, the system and structures necessary to give effect to this aim. The attributes and principles of this system should include the following:

• It must complement, and not replace, national environmental information systems and their components. In general, the collection of primary environmental data is a national responsibility. SAf can play a role in promoting common regional standards, the exchange of data between nations, and regional re-analysis and synthesis.

• SAf could have a role in the dissemination at the national or local level of data and information which is by nature regional or global. Examples of such information include certain types of atmospheric analyses and space-based remote sensing data. SAf could also have a role in initiating the collection of such data where it does not already exist.

• SAf must strive for the most efficient and effective solution to the provision of environmental information needs at the regional level. This can only be achieved by coordination and collaboration with existing and future institutions with compatible missions.

• The SAf system should be compatible with, and allied to, similar systems in other regions of the world, in order to facilitate the agglomeration of regional environmental information at the global scale, and the dissemination of global information to the region.

• SAf must ensure its financial sustainability by adding value, clearly in excess of the costs of its operation, and being acknowledged to do so by its sponsoring stakeholders. It needs to generate unique, identifiable products with wide utility.

An initial set of objectives could include the following:

• Establish an inventory of land, water and atmosphere observing systems in the region and their contents and conditions of use.

• Develop and strengthen linkages between activities related to land, water and atmosphere observing systems.

• Identify inadequacies in existing environmental information systems and recommend remedial actions.

• Enhance the quality, availability and continuity of environmental information by promoting a process of assessment and improvement of data acquisition, analysis, storage, dissemination, and communication.

• Facilitate the production of a regional land cover information system.

• Contribute to ongoing State of Environment Reporting by assisting with the collation, analysis and interpretation of key environmental indicators.

• Develop the human capacity to sustain the initiative.

Sphere of Activity

SAf should cover the geographical domain of the members of the SADC. This consists of Angola, Boswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These form a politically and economically consistent unit, and with the exception of Mauritius, are geographically contiguous. These countries are also reasonably consistent from a drainage, climatological and biological perspective. No other southern African footprint makes much sense for SAf.

Initial implementation may focus, for practical reasons, on a smaller group of countries having well-developed national EIS (Environmental Information Systems). The cluster of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe is an obvious entry point. To gain essential regional political support SAf will need to move beyond this starter group within a few years.

If SAf is to operate on a multinational basis anywhere in the SADC region, it will be undesirable (and probably impossible) to do so without the explicit endorsement and collaboration of SADC bodies (specifically ELMS and FANR) charged with environmental responsibilities.

Rationale for SAf

There is a clear need for improved environmental management in southern Africa, including better access to environmental information. The populations and economies in southern Africa are growing, and with growth comes greater pressure on the environment. The majority of the population is poor, and most are rural; thus there is a high dependence on the environment for livelihoods. The institutions for environmental monitoring and management are generally young (post-colonial, in many cases), under-funded, under-skilled and typically have little political influence. Environmental regulations, where they exist, are often either permissive or not enforced.

A large number of organizations already exists in this field (see Annex 2, Survey of EIS in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe prepared as part of this project, Scholes et al. 2000). They range from those which have statutory responsibility for environmental information, to local, national and international NGOs. Given this complexity, in what way will SAf be of assistance rather than hindrance or diversion in attaining the mission of environmental sustainability in southern Africa?

It can only do so by:

• Focusing on those things where it can make a unique contribution.

• Being closely needs-oriented.

• Adding much more value than it subtracts from the shared funding pool.

• Making the task of the stakeholders easier rather than more difficult.

Value addition is possible through the following mechanisms.

• Economies of scale. It is nearly always easier, and an order of magnitude cheaper, to perform certain activities at a regional level rather than individually or country-by-country. Examples include operations which are computer intensive rather than labour-intensive (such as the analysis of remote sensing data), or operations which require a large initial capital investment (such as advanced chemical analyses), but which would be under-utilized at the national scale.

• Harmonization and data sharing. Pooled data typically has greater value than isolated data, by virtue of a larger sample size and the wider range of environments that it spans. Pooling can only be achieved if the data are comparable, which requires harmonization.

• Synthesis. Synthesis is the process whereby new information emerges from the analysis of existing, separate datasets. It therefore goes beyond summarization, to the generation of new understandings, resulting from synergies between previously isolated pieces of information. Synthesis activities are recognized as one of the most cost-effective ways to deliver new knowledge at this point in environmental science.

• Additional analysis. The residual value of datasets can be released by analysis. Unanalysed data is worthless. Few institutions in the region have the resources to fully realise the information content in their data sets.

• Leveraging international intellectual, financial and technological resources. The international community has access to resources currently hard to access by national EIS. These include intellectual property (e.g. models and remotely sensed data), funding sources, and technology (methods of analysis, new instruments).

Core Activities of SAf

Who are likely to be the SAf stakeholders?

A stakeholder is any person or group of people who can affect the outcome of a project in a significant way. ‘Stakeholder’ is not synonymous with ‘beneficiary’, ‘user’ or ‘client’, although these three groupings are usually also important stakeholders. The five key groups of SAf stakeholders are likely to be:

• National environmental officials;

• Environmental non-governmental organizations in the region;

• SADC environmental authorities;

• Global environmental information holders;

• Global environmental data users.

In addition, there are a number of interested and affected parties, who include, amongst others:

• Citizens of southern Africa, with an interest in the environment;

• Learners at high school and university level;

• Research workers in the field of the environment;

• Consultants on development and environmental impacts;

• Companies operating in southern Africa, or planning to do so.

The main interests and needs of the key stakeholder group are outlined Table 1.

What kind of information should SAf deal with?

GTOS International, the parent body of SAf, defines its domain as including the following issues: land quality, freshwater resources, climate change, biodiversity and pollution. The following regional environmental issues qualify for attention by SAf.

• Water quantity and quality in shared river systems and aquifers.

• Factors which influence the regional or global climate system or which are indices of its state.

• The chemical composition of air masses which cross national boundaries.

• The population status of organisms naturally-occurring in southern Africa, which migrate or disperse across national boundaries.

• The distribution of alien organisms which have the biotic potential to invade neighbouring countries.

• The population status and trend of organisms and ecosystems whose natural distribution occurs in more than one southern African country, and which is endangered within one or more countries.

• The capacity of ecosystems (including agro-ecosystems) to provide food and fibre sufficient for the needs of the region.

• The transport of hazardous material between countries in the region, whether by design or accident.

Table 1 The main interests and needs of the key SAf stakeholder group

This is not necessarily an exclusive list, but future additions should pass the following tests:

• Regionality (i.e. it should be of more than local interest, and apply to more than one nation in the region).

• Relevance (i.e. it should help satisfy a demonstrable need).

• Fit with the GTOS mandate.

What part of the Environmental Information System spectrum should SAf occupy?

EIS activities and the role that SAf may have are shown in Table 2.

The core role of SAf should be that of a data broker, re-packager and interpreter. The primary data collectors are national agencies, or in the case of certain global datasets, international agencies. SAf must assemble, in easily accessible and readily interpretable form, the information needed for informed decision-making on the topics identified above. It needs to do this in a timely manner, which requires that it maintains continuously updated products relating to the main issues. This would enable SAf to undertake special assessments, if necessary, on demand.

Key to the envisaged role of SAf is the function of the information broker. This involves knowing who needs what sort of information, who has it, and what is necessary to bring them together. This includes both technical competencies in understanding data and its exchange, and legal, financial and political competencies in negotiating its availability. Several organizations (e.g. SARDC and Netwise) intend to operate as regional metadata (data about data) collectors: in other words, to know who has what data, rather than to maintain the data themselves. There is no harm in GTOS contributing to this role as well, provided that it focuses on its main areas and avoids competition and duplication where possible. By itself metadata is insufficient for SAf. SAf will need to deal in data itself.

This core role of SAf should consist of identifying and sourcing the necessary data, converting it into compatible formats, units, regions and time periods. It should also include quality checking the data, combining it and subsetting it for the various users, and ensuring that it reaches them timelessly and in understandable form. SAf must also add value to data through interpretation and meta-analysis. Graphical display, trend analysis, threshold detection, spatial mapping, compilation of indicators and summarization are all activities which SAf should undertake.

Communication, both in the sense of facilitating the electronic movement of data to and from national and global sources, and in the sense of raising the awareness and understanding of local, national and regional stakeholders in environmental issues, is an essential SAf role.

GTOS should not accept responsibility for primary data collection, unless such data, are by their nature principally of regional or global rather than national importance and therefore unlikely to be collected by nations individually, are critical for the GTOS mission, and are not likely to be collected by any other agency.

The role of harmonizer of national-level EIS is logically a SADC responsibility, but SAf could play an important supportive role. There is significant cost- saving potential through promoting the use of a single set of database systems and exchange formats throughout the region.

Given the uneven status of national EIS in the region, SAf may need to play, at least initially, other roles as well. It may need to act as an advocate for sustained and increased national funding for EIS. It may need to take a catalytic role in encouraging the establishment or upgrading of certain data categories at national level. It may consider a training role as part of its quest to improve standards and harmonization.

Table 2 The characterization of the activities of environmental information systems and the possible role of SAf. Note that the activities do not necessarily follow in exactly this linear sequence.

What kind of products should SAf generate?

The primary SAf products should be internet-based, with supplementary paper and CD-ROM products. SAf should maintain a state-of-the-art website of regional environmental information, as well as a gateway to datasets (which may be held elsewhere, or by SAf), archival material and reports. The content should be current, but not real-time. A delay of about six months would be acceptable; delays of up to several years are likely. The scale of spatial products should in general be 1:1 million or broader. Scales more detailed than this are conventionally regarded as a national prerogative.

The availability and bandwidth of Internet services in the region is currently variable, but growing rapidly. Key decision-makers already have access to the web but at present this is not the preferred data source in most cases. There is a trend towards a wider use of the web in the future. The products in other media should be derived from the primary product, for reasons of efficiency and consistency. They should be intended for specific purposes or audiences for whom the internet is either inaccessible or inappropriate. CD-ROM can act as a bridging technology, since it can supply a web-like interface and capability, but with high access speeds and a sense of ownership. The disadvantage is that the information becomes dated, so the CD-ROM needs to be updated and circulated on a regular basis. Annually is probably sufficient in the SAf context.

Substantive paper reports have the advantage of being easily and securely archived in existing libraries, and rapidly consulted without computers or web skills. If well printed, bound, issued with ISDN numbers and lodged in accessible libraries, they retain a credibility as reference material not yet attained by web products. HTML technology means that they can be easily derived from web material. SAf should aim at an annual report, of perhaps 30 pages, highly graphical and tabular and in colour, reporting on trends in the main indicators. In addition, it should aim at a more substantive, book-length analysis and synthesis once every five years, preferably in coordination with region ‘state of the environment’ exercises.

One-page briefing notes, tightly focused on a topical issue, and written specifically for decision-makers, are highly valued by busy politicians and top civil servants. They provide high exposure, but must be timely, unbiased, to-the-point and targeted. SAf should produce such documents one month before major SADC meetings (with some environmental content), and before meetings of the global environmental treaty bodies: Climate Change, Desertification and Biodiversity. These briefing notes should be disseminated by direct mailing, fax, e-mail, internet and by having printed copies at the meeting venues.

SAf should consider producing a numbered series of technical reports (in both electronic and paper form) covering environmental information standards, methods and training materials.

Maps and posters are very suitable for a broader audience. Their primary role is communication and education.

The SAf participants should be encouraged to publish information in the open, in peer-reviewed international scientific publications. This will serve to enhance the credibility and increase the exposure of SAf, while developing the careers of the authors.

Initial Projects

The following projects and activities would serve to demonstrate SAf capacity and establish its credentials.

1. Data brokerage

SAf could undertake to be a facilitator of access to environmental information in the region. The specific actions it could take in this regard include:

• Maintaining a database of players in the environmental information arena, identifying which organizations collect information, the type of information and how it can be obtained.

• Assisting with the negotiating of agreements for the exchange of data.

• Developing translation software to convert data in different national formats into a common format.

2. State of the environment reporting indicator collation

SoER (State of Environmental Reporting) is currently taking place at both national and regional level. This has highlighted the unavailability of indicator data, despite the large quantities of primary data that are collected in the region. SAf could occupy a useful niche by acting as the regional collator of relevant primary data, and synthesiser of the data into easily understood, quantified indicators for further use by the SoER process. These indicators should be tailored to address, in particular, issues relating to climate change, land cover change, loss of biodiversity and loss of the capacity of the system to deliver food, freshwater and other natural resources and benefits. In this way GTOS will have both regional relevance and global utility.

3. Data repository for relevant regional-scale limited-period experiments

There is currently no regional archive for the data produced (at great effort and expense) by limited-duration projects. Examples of such projects currently underway include assessment of the Zambezi Basin, and the SAFARI 2000 regional air chemistry and circulation experiment. These data have value beyond the immediate objectives and timeframes of the projects, which are producing them. This value needs to be preserved and exploited by making the data available in-region, on an ongoing basis.

4. Regional land cover information system

Several SADC countries have recently completed national land cover maps at 1:250 000 scale, and these have been generalized and combined at 1:1 M scale. The missing areas could be patched with the global 1 km land cover dataset or similar products derived from MODIS data. The land cover data is of great relevance to the information needs of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biodiversity, and the Convention on Combating Desertification. Its usefulness for these and other applications would be greatly enhanced if it were made available in a system also containing:

• Data coverage of land cover class attribute data (for instance, biomass, fire frequency, biodiversity);

• Data coverage of driver variables of land cover change (such as population, rainfall and soil quality);

• Subsequent land cover maps, allowing cover change to be mapped.

5. Short-duration synthesis activities

In general, the major information constraint in the region is in making data available and comprehensible, rather than collecting it. A series of targeted workshop activities, each with the objective of producing a synthesis volume, could go a long way towards bringing information into the public domain while building networks and providing due acknowledgement to those who collected the data. Two examples of potential synthesis activities are:

Dynamics of land cover change, based on area case studies;

Guidelines for river health assessment systems.

6. Formalization of a regional Long- Term Ecological Research site network

A GTOS partner organization, ILTER (International Long Term Ecological Research site network) has initiated discussions within several SADC countries regarding the development and regional networking of LTER sites. Namibia has already registered as an ILTER partner, and South Africa is in an advanced state of planning to do so. This will provide an on-the-ground observation network, which GTOS can both benefit from and institutionally support and promote. The sort of activities SAf could perform would be to promote best-practice methodologies and data exchange standards, as well as convening regional meetings to make the network a reality.

Governance of SAf

The details of SAf governance will depend on the institutional arrangements which are made to house it, but in principle SAf should have a Governing Body, with approximately the following composition:

• Four regionally-based technical representatives, who should be spread to the greatest degree possible across disciplinary areas and geographical expertise. They should not represent nations or organizations, but provide input based on their individual technical capacity.

• A representative of SADC-FANR.

• A representative of SADC-ELMS.

• A representative of GTOS International.

The SAf director would attend the Governing Body meetings ex officio. Meetings should be no less frequent than once every two years, and last about a week, with frequent e-mail ‘virtual’ meetings in between. A typical model would be that the representatives of SADC and GTOS International would pay their own travel and attendance costs, while the technical representatives travel and subsistence would be covered by SAf, and their time costs by their home institutions.

The first task of the Governing Body would be to prepare a 10-15 year business plan, especially outlining the potential benefits and financial liabilities to SADC member states.

Organization of SAf

An analysis of the proposed work plan, outlined below, suggests that the minimum core staffing for SAf would consist of a director, environmental analyst and a electronic communications specialist (see Table 3).

There would probably be a need for secretarial support as well, which could be shared. Other functions, needed on a discontinuous basis, could be contracted out, for example, journalistic capacity, bookkeeping, GIS, and desktop publishing.

Since a staff of three would tend to become very isolated if on their own, it is strongly recommended that they be co-located with an existing SADC environmental organization. This could result in considerable synergy and critical mass benefits, as well as cost saving on shared office infrastructure. SAf should remain financially and institutionally independent.

However, partnerships can provide distinct advantages in developing the GTOS programme. Some possibilities would be in association with SADC-FANR in Harare, or nearby to the SADC secretariat in Gaborone, or in association with an environmental NGO (IUCN-ROSA or WWF), or a UN office (e.g. FAO or UNEP).

Relationship with Other Organizations

Given the complexity of the task, and the large number of other organizations engaged in it, SAf will inevitably have to operate in a collaborative, networked fashion where it only has direct control of a relatively small core function. SAf must strive to have influence over a wider set of players and activities, and must be aware of and take into account an even wider set of organizations and data. The central ‘influence’ group consists of at least:

• Global GTOS;

• ILTER (International Long-Term Ecological Research network);

• SADC environmental structures;

• Regional environment and development NGOs;

Funding of SAf

Seed funding for initial activities (such as website development and proposal consortium meetings) is probably available from GTOS international. During its first phase, SAf has a good chance of being able to secure project-related funding from international donors, provided it has clear and needed products in mind. During this time the GTOS board would need to develop a 10-15 year business plan outlining its strategy for ensuring continuation funding.

Continued financial viability will be strongly dependent on swiftly demonstrating the usefulness of the organizations to all its stakeholders. Start- up costs may be obtainable from the international donor community, but SAf would need to migrate to a regional financial support base within ten years for long-term survival.

Table 3 The suggested minimum core staff for SAf

Short-term action plan

References

GTOS 1996. Planning Group Report - "GTOS: Turning a sound concept into a practical reality". GTOS-3

GTOS 1997. GHOST - Global Hierarchical Observing Strategy. GTOS-13

GTOS 1998. Data and Information Management Plan. GTOS-18

GTOS 1998 GTOS Implementation Plan. Global Terrestrial Observing System, FAO, ROME. GTOS-17

GTOS 1998 GTOS Data and Information Management Plan. Global Terrestrial Observing System, FAO, ROME. GTOS-18

Gwynne, M (1996) GTOS and the conventions. Global Terrestrial Observing System, FAO, ROME. GTOS-7

Scholes R.J., van der Merwe M.R., and van Tienhoven A.M. (2000), Environmental Observation Systems in Botswana, Namibia South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Report prepared for GTOS International Secretariat, FAO, Rome, BY CSIR Environmentek, Pretoria, South Africa.