Fostering genuinely inclusive participation is challenging, whether the targets are within higher education or extend to other aspects of society. This brief paper addresses three challenges to broadening participation: arriving at a definition of participation, understanding the significance of representation, probing power relations that provide the context within which participation occurs.
1. Crayfish are invasive polytrophic keystone species, which are phylogenetically unique on the African continent. The Australian redclaw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus is invasive in southern African freshwater systems including the Zambezi River Basin. Surveys conducted across the Zambezi Basin (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia) between 2017 and 2019 showed that C. quadricarinatus is broadly distributed across the Upper and Middle Zambezi and is rapidly spreading through natural and human-mediated means across several ecoregions. 2. The probability of capture (P capture ), catch per unit effort (CPUE) and population characteristics of C. quadricarinatus from the recent Barotse floodplain invasion were compared with older invasions from Lake Kariba and Kafue River.3. The P capture and CPUE of C. quadricarinatus in the recently invaded region of the Barotse floodplain were similar to those of the older invasions. Mass and carapace length of C. quadricarinatus from the Barotse floodplain were significantly lower than those of C. quadricarinatus from the older invasions. Sex † Deceased
Adaptive governance is an emergent approach to water allocation that alludes to the social conditions that enable the range of interactions among actors as they agree and pursue mutually desired water allocation outcomes. Limited successful efforts aimed at implementing adaptive governance suggest a dearth in understanding and implementing adaptive governance. Using the analytic lens of social exchange theory, we draw attention to relations of dependence by examining efforts aimed at establishing an equitable water allocation regime on the Kafue Flats of Zambia. Relations of dependence are as a result of differential access and control of hydromentality. In the context of this research, hydromentality includes discourse on water allocation, institutional arrangements and techniques for control of hydraulic infrastructure. The research used in-depth interviews, stakeholder workshops and document analysis. The research illustrates the case in which hydropower and commercial irrigation farmers, access and control hydromentality. In this way, these few key actors are able to either facilitate or constrain adaptive governance processes thereby influecing water allocation outcomes on the Kafue Flats. We conclude by asserting that adaptive governance does not occur in a vacuum and as such require greater attention to relations of dependence as social actors pursue desired water allocation outcomes.
Floodplain wetlands are a fundamental part of the African continent’s ecosystem and serve as habitat for fish and wildlife species, biodiversity, and micro-organisms that support life. It is generally recognised that wetlands are and remain fragile ecosystems that should be subject to sustainable conservation and management through the use of sustainable tools. In this paper, we propose a synthesis of the state of art concerning coupled hydrologic and hydraulic models for floodplains assessments in Africa. Case studies reviewed in this paper have pointed out the potential of applying coupled hydrologic and hydraulic models and the opportunities present to be used in Africa especially for data scarce and large basin for floodplain assessments through the use of available open access models, coupling frameworks and remotely sensed datasets. To our knowledge this is the first case study review of this kind on this topic. A Hydrological model coupled with Hydraulic Model of the floodplain provides improvements in floodplain model simulations and hence better information for floodplain management. Consequently, this would lead to improved decision-making and planning of adaption and mitigation measures for sound floodplain wetland management plans and programmes especially with the advent of climate change and variability.
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