Réconcilier les moyens de subsistance avec l'intégrité des écosystèmes dans la zone humide de Ga-Mampa, Afrique du Sud

Abstract

International audienceThe Ga-Mampa wetland is an example of the many small wetlands used for multiple purposes in South Africa. Over the last 15 years it has been progressively converted to subsistence cropping, with negative impacts on its ecosystem integrity. Stakeholders at local and higher scales have different views on the ways to mitigate the impacts of current uses while enhancing local communities’ livelihoods. A participatory decision support framework was developed under the WETwin project to assess the trade-offs between wetland ecosystem services provision and ecosystem integrity and to support wetland planning and management. This paper reports its application to the case of Ga-Mampa wetland, where a particular focus was given to stakeholder involvement in the assessment process. The participatory multi-criteria analysis allowed initiating and strengthening dialogue between very diverse stakeholders, from local to national levels. It also provided reflective material for decision makers in the form of a diagnosis of stakes, and documented management options adapted to the situation and validated by stakeholders. The process itself was more useful than its outcome, raising external stakeholders’ awareness of the complexity of the socio-ecological system and accompanying local farmers in building their own project