Panelist Abstract
Panelist: Mick O'Toole, Acting Coordinator, BCLME Program
Name of Session: Session III. Experience With GEF Strategic (SAP) Projects Plenary
Presentation Title: Benguela Current
Summary of Key Issues and Best Practices/Lessons Learned
As part of as PDF Block B grant development process, a detailed Transboundary Diagnostic
Analysis (TDA) and framework for the development of a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for
the integrated management of the Benguela Current large marine ecosystem (BCLME) was
formulated at two regional workshop held in 1998 and 1999.
Three major areas of activities were analysed within the TDA process. These were a) Utilisation
of Resources b) Environmental Variability and c) Ecosystem Health and Pollution. The essential
elements of the TDA were formulated and prioritised by workshop working groups as per path:
issues >problems >causes >impacts >tasks/uncertainties >socio-economic consequences
>transboundary consequences > activities/solutions > priorities >outputs >costs. The key
objectives of the BCLME programme activities identified during the TDA process were as
follows:-
a) Sustainable Management and Utilisation of Resources
· Facilitation of Optimal Harvesting of Living Resources
· Assessment of Seabed Mining and Drilling Impacts and Policy Harmonisation
· Responsible Development of Mariculture
· Protection of Vulnerable Species and habitats
· Assessment of Non-Harvested Species and their Role in the Ecosystem
b) Assessment of Environmental Variability, Ecosystem Impacts and Improvement of
Predictability
· Reducing Uncertainty and Improving Predictability
· Capacity Strengthening and Training
· Management of Consequences of Harmful Algal Blooms
c) Maintenance of Ecosystem Health and Management of Pollution
· Improvement of Water Quality
· Prevention and Management of Oil Spills
· Reduction of Marine Litter
· Retardation/Reversal of Habitat Destruction/Alteration
· Conservation of Biodiversity
The SAP was subsequently developed by a small working group and consensus achieved through
further discussions and consultations with government ministries and other stakeholder groups. In
February 2000, seven Ministers (representing the fisheries, environment and mines and energy
sectors) from Angola, Namibia and South Africa signed the SAP which laid out guidelines and a
policy framework for the integrated and sustainable management of the BCLME. The SAP spells
out the challenges and principals fundamental to integrated marine ecosystem management of the
Benguela Current region and specifies the nature, scope and timetable whereby policy actions are
to be implemented. It also details the institutional arrangements and structures necessary to ensure
delivery of the objectives of the TDA, promote wider co-operation with external institutions and

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programmes and addresses mechanisms of long-term sustainable funding for the integrated
management of the BCLME.
The principals co-operative action agreed to by the three governments in the SAP are as follows:-
· The precautionary principal to apply
· Anticipatory actions to be developed and promoted (e.g. oil spills and harmful algal
blooms contingency plans)
· Use of clean water technologies to be stimulated
· Use of economic and policy instruments that foster sustainable development to be
promoted (e.g. polluter pays principal)
· Environmental and health considerations to be included into all relevant policies and
sectoral plans
· Co-operation among states bordering the BCLME to be promoted
· Interests by other states in the southern African region to be encouraged
· Transparency, public and private participation within BCLME Programme to be fostered
· The three governments to actively pursue a policy of co-financing with industry and
donor agencies
A key component of the institutional arrangements outlined in the SAP is the establishment of an
Interim Benguela Current Commission (IBCC) to strengthen regional co-operation. The IBCC
will operate for the first five years of the programme and will then become a permanent Benguela
Current Commission (BCC). The IBCC will be act as a steering committee and will be supported
by a Programme Co-ordination Unit (PCU) which will later become the Secretariat to the BCC. A
stakeholders consultative committee will also be established to provide input to the IBCC. The
PCU will play a key role in co-ordination, networking, communication and information exchange
for the BCLME Programme and will be supported by Advisory Groups based in three Activity
Centres, one located in each member state. The Activity Centres will facilitate co-ordination
within the partner countries and serve as foci for specialist BCLME actions in relation to resource
assessment, regional environmental monitoring, pollution and ecosystem health.
The SAP will encourage the three countries to individually and jointly address priority
transboundary issues and enhance co-operation with other regional and international bodies, UN
agencies and programmes e.g. the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the South
East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO), United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), Food and Agricultural
Organisation (FAO), non-governmental organisations (NGO's), donor agencies and other states
with interest in the BCLME i.e. The Guinea Current LME countries. The existing regional
initiative, the Benguela Environment, Fisheries Interaction and Training Programme (BENEFIT)
will also be an important stakeholder in BCLME and will undertake key transboundary marine
science and technology activities e.g. fisheries/environmental linkage research and training within
the framework of the programme.
The following are some of the key policy actions and time framework for achieving some of the
objectives outlined in the SAP.
· The three countries will endeavor to harmonise the management of shared stocks through
joint surveys and assessment of key species. These activities will be undertaken co-
operatively between 2001 and 2005 to demonstrate the benefit of this approach

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· The three government will commit themselves to compliance with the FAO Code of
Conduct for Responsible Fishing
· A regional framework for consultation to mitigate the negative impacts of seabed mining
and oil/gas exploration and production activities will be developed by December 2002
and that such policies relating to shared resources and cumulative impacts be harmonised.
· A regional HAB reporting network be implemented in 2001
· Waste water quality criteria for receiving water be developed by June 2002 for point
sources.
· A regional mariculture policy to be developed by December 2002
· A regional biodiversity conservation management plan and framework to be developed
by December 2003
· A comprehensive regional strategic programme for capacity development and
maintenance of health of the BCLME to be finalised by June 2001
The experience gained in developing the TDA and SAP for the BCLME Programme indicated the
importance of the participatory process and full stakeholder involvement in the regional
workshops which formulated and defined the framework documents. An important part of
achieving consensus and successful workshop outputs was having an experienced facilitator and
using the Logic Framework Analysis (LFA) approach in the project planning process. Of great
assistance in developing the SAP and subsequently drafting the Project Brief was the specialised
input and guidelines provided by two UNDP-GEF consultants who attended the TDA/SAP
regional workshop. The implementation of the PDF Block B development phase of the BCLME
greatly contributed towards building and establishing trust, communication, and co-operation
between the relevant ministries and agencies in Angola, Namibia and South Africa. This was
achieved through effective programme management and co-ordination, strong attendance by
stakeholders at regional workshops, exchange of visits by national managers and government
ministry personnel between countries, co-operative actions through working groups and
management committees and the promotion of the BCLME Programme within the region through
the framework of the SADC Sectoral Co-ordinating Committee for Marine Fisheries in Namibia.
The BCLME PDF Block B initiative has stimulated discussion and encouraged the development
of other such programmes within the SADC region i.e. along the east coast of Africa and has
forged information exchange and co-operative links between other LME projects such as the Gulf
of Guinea and the Canary Current.
KEY REFERENCES
Anon 1999 Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) Report ­ A
regional commitment to the integrated management,
sustainable development and protection of the Benguela
Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) by Angola,
Namibia and South Africa. UNDP, Windhoek, Namibia 1st
November 1999, 52pp.
Anon 1999 Strategic Action Programme (SAP) ­ Integrated management,
sustainable development and protection of the Benguela
Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME): UNDP,
Windhoek, Namibia 1st November 1999, 24pp.

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Anon 1999 The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME):
National pre-planning workshop on TDA and SAP: Instituto
de Investigacao Pesqueira, Luanda, Angola; UNDP,
Windhoek, Namibia 30th March 1999, 25pp.
Anon 1998 First Regional Workshop Report- Benguela Current Large
Marine Ecosystem (BCLME), 22-24 July 1998, Cape Town,
South Africa; UNDP, Windhoek, Namibia, 62 pp. (moderator:
P.Croll)
Anon 1999 Second Regional Workshop Report- Benguela Current Large
Marine Ecosystem (BCLME), 12-16 April 1999, Okahandja,
Namibia: UNDP, Windhoek, Namibia ,72 pp (moderators:
P.Croll and J.T.Njuguna)
Clark, B, W. F. Meyer, C. Ewart-Smith, A.Pulfrich and J.Hughes 1998
Integrated overview of diamond mining in the Benguela
Current region: Thematic Report No.3 Synthesis and
assessment of information on BCLME: November 1998,
UNDP, Windhoek, Namibia, 60pp.
CSIR 1999 Integrated overview of the offshore oil and gas industry in
the Benguela Current region: Thematic Report No: 4
Synthesis and assessment of information on BCLME; April
1999 , UNDP, Windhoek, Namibia, 104pp.
CSIR 1998 The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME):
The coastal environment between the Congo River mouth and
Cape Aghulas: Thematic Report No.5: Synthesis and
assessment of information on BCLME: UNDP, Windhoek,
Namibia, 184pp.
De Lourdes Sardinha, M 1998 Fisheries and the Marine Environment in
Angola. First Regional Workshop on BCLME, 22-24 July,
Cape Town, South Africa 12pp.
Hampton, I, D.C.Boyer, A.J. Penney, A.F. Pereira and M de Lourdes
Sardinha 1999 Integrated overview of fisheries of the
Benguela Current region: Thematic Report No:1, Synthesis
and assessment of information on the BCLME; March 1999,
UNDP, Windhoek, Namibia, 87pp.
Hutchings, L 1998 Fisheries and the Environment in South Africa. First
Regional Workshop on BCLME, 22-24th July, Cape Town,
South Africa, 25pp.
Pereira, A and V. Filipe 1998 Summary of some recent oceanographic
and environmental variability information from Angolan
waters. First Regional Workshop on BCLME , 22-24 July,
Cape Town, 30pp.
Pitcher, G and M J.O'Toole 1998 International symposium and
workshop on harmful algal blooms in the Benguela Current
and other upwelling ecosystems; Swakopmund, Namibia 5-6

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November 1998; Proceedings, Ministry of Fisheries and
Marine Resources,, Namibia, World Bank and IOC.
Pitcher, G 1998 Harmful Algal Blooms of the Benguela Current.
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, the World Bank
and IOC, 20pp.
O'Toole, M and L.V. Shannon 1997 The changing state of the Benguela
Current Large Marine Ecosystem. American Association for
the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Seattle, Washington,
USA 13-18 February, 43pp.
O'Toole, M.J. and D.C. Boyer 1998 An overview of fisheries and the
environment in Namibian waters. First Regional Workshop
on BCLME, 22-24 July 1998, Cape Town, 32pp.
O'Toole, M.J, L.V. Shannon, V de Barros Neto and D.E. Malan 1999
Integrated management of the Benguela Current region ­ A
framework for future development; Dahlem Workshop on
science and integrated coastal management (ICM), Free
University of Berlin, Germany, December 1999, 30pp.
Shannon, L.V. and M.J. O'Toole 1998 Integrated overview of the
oceanography and environmental variability of the Benguela
Current region: Thematic report No:2; Synthesis and
assessment of information on BCLME: October 1998,
UNDP, Windhoek, Namibia, 58pp.
Shannon, V and M.J. O'Toole 1998 International symposium on
environmental variability in the south-east Atlantic:
Proceedings, Swakopmund, Namibia. 30 March-1 April
1998: Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Namibia,
the World Bank, GTZ, NORAD, SCOR and BENEFIT, 450pp.
Shannon, V and M.J.O'Toole 1998 Proceedings on the national
workshop on environmental variability, environmental
monitoring and environmental strategic planning,
Swakopmund, Namibia, 2-4 April 1998: Ministry of
Fisheries and Marine Resources, Namibia, the World Bank,
GTZ, NORAD, SCOR and BENEFIT, 450pp.
Shannon, V and M.J. O'Toole 1998 An overview of the Benguela
Ecosystem; First regional workshop on BCLME, 22-24
July, Cape Town, South Africa, 30pp.
Tapscott, C 1999 An overview of the socio-economics of some key
maritime industries in the Benguela Current region:
Thematic Report No.6; Synthesis and assessment of
information on BCLME; UNDP, Windhoek, Namibia, 17pp.
Tarras-Wahlberg, H and M.J. O'Toole 2000 Namibian Marine Diamond
Mining: Journal of Marine Environmental Management,
July 2000, p.12-14

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