A Case Scenario
The Winding River Basin (WRB) has its origins high in the mountain peaks of Sumatra
and flows through the rich agricultural plains of Dantu before reaching the sea at the
Mangrove Delta. The Winding River is agriculturally and aquatically highly productive
and a main contributor to the region’s food security and export earnings. Approximately
300 kilometers offshore of Dantu, in the middle of the Fish Sea, is the small independent
island nation of Loidong.
In 2007, the Global Environment Facility approved a project to support the development
of sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal livelihoods; to control and reduce
sources of pollution that affect these development opportunities; and to strengthen
governance frameworks necessary to achieve these goals. You are part of a group
responsible for identifying and analyzing the stakeholders who should be involved in
different aspects of project implementation.
Environmental and Socio-Economic Overview
The headwaters of the Winding River are high in the peaks of Sumatra’s central mountain
range. Sumatra is a large, coastal country with a high rate of economic growth. In the
semi-arid west, groundwater shortages have led farmers and cities to look increasingly to
the WRB to supplement scarce supplies. This area is also home to a mix of four rural
ethnic minorities that rely on small-scale agriculture and fisheries for livelihoods. These
are among the poorest communities in Sumatra. Sufficient access to water for domestic
and livelihoods purposes in these communities is a significant problem.
The growth of urban centers along the river as it flows towards the border with Dantu has
also led to high levels of water pollution from untreated sewage and industrial effluents.
Along a main tributary that flows into the Winding River, Sumatra has a well-developed
mining industry in the east with several refineries and processing factories. Effluents
from these plants are regulated, but largely unenforced, and are impacting the health of
the fisheries and water quality for domestic use in large portions of the WRB, as well as
in the Mangrove Delta.
Dantu is a country with widespread poverty but is rich in natural resources. The current
economy of Dantu is based on rice farming, small-scale fisheries, and aquaculture.
Farmers rely on the waters of Winding River for irrigation and the diverse fish resources
depend on the annual flooding of the Winding River. Fish provides the main source of
protein for these communities. Recent changes in the amount and timing of precipitation
– thought to be linked to climate change – that is essential to the Winding River’s flood
cycles has become a major cause of concern, as has pollution throughout the WRB.
The WRB comes to the sea at the expansive Mangrove Delta. The fertile soil of the
Delta is made of alluvial and marine deposits and is used widely for agriculture (mainlyrice) and aquaculture. Commercial rice farms are increasingly using fertilizers,
herbicides, and pesticides that are compromising the water and habitat quality of large
portions of the Delta ecosystem. Export of fish grown in these areas provides a large
portion of Dantu’s economy and export earnings. The government of Dantu hopes to
expand both rice and aquaculture production in the Delta, despite concerns that these
practices are already impacting the ecological integrity and biodiversity of the ecosystem.
In addition to the chemical applications, water quality is compromised from the industrial
and municipal effluent of the capital city of B, located just northwest of the Delta.
Environmental groups have noted a decrease in the numbers of migratory birds in the
area, affecting the new but developing tourism industry in the Delta. Additionally,
extreme weather events of recent years, particularly typhoons, are also causing concern
for the sustained productivity of the Delta.
Ethnically, Dantu is fairly homogenous, with only two small groups not forming part of
the ethnic majority. These groups live in the northern portion of the Delta and are
characterized by political marginalization and the highest poverty levels in the country.
Offshore from the Mangrove Delta, in the middle of the Fish Sea, is the small island state
Loidong. Loidong is ethnically homogenous. It is made up of two islands that integrate
traditional land use and coastal management practices into their current governance
system. The two islands are divided into villages, each governed by a chief, who is
charged with the governance of all natural resources in the village. The Council of
Chiefs is represented in the national parliament.
The people of Loidong are fisherfolk, who supplement their diet with subsistence
agriculture. In recent years, conflicts between local villages over fishing rights have
become more pronounced as declines in catches are causing increasing competition.
Fishing boats from the mainland often fish within Loidong’s Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ), exacerbating the issue. Loidong does not currently have the capacity to enforce
its territorial fishing rights.
Tourism is also a growing industry on Loidong. The government is investing a great deal
of money in tourism infrastructure development along the coast, including hotels and
water sports and sport-fishing facilities. Pollution from land-based sources, as well as
agriculture and siltation from deforestation in the upland areas of the islands, is causing
concerns for public and marine health.
Governance Overview
All three countries have a national environment authority charged with oversight of
coastal and marine issues. In addition, each country has a national water authority.
Sumatra’s water and coastal resource management is highly centralized and the national
authorities do not coordinate with each other or additional natural resource authorities at
the national level. At the local level, Sumatra’s traditional leaders have an important role
in settling water-related disputes. Civil society is fairly well-developed, but has a
controversial history. NGOs must be registered with the government. Sumatra is,however, home to the headquarters of several international and national environmental
NGOs working on environmental issues.
Dantu has a more independent civil society, with several NGOs and community-based
organizations working on related environmental topics throughout the country. The
University of Dantu is involved in various types of coastal research. In addition to the
national water and coastal/marine authorities, there are provincial-level institutions for
water management that have a mandate to consult with local water user associations in
certain regulatory matters. Fisheries are regulated independently by a separate Ministry
that is in the process of establishing co-management institutions with fishing
communities in the Delta. Dantu’s coastal zone management law was reformed in the
late 1980s and is currently undergoing a review.
Loidong’s laws were updated in the late 1980s. The Coastal Zone Management Act
identifies conservation, sustainable use and development of its coastal resources, and
equitable access as guiding principles. The management structure created by the Act is
highly decentralized. Each village has its own traditional authority that is responsible for
creating and implementing management plans, although frequently the villages lack the
knowhow and other resources to fulfill these responsibilities. According to the statute,
one of the essential roles of the local authorities is to promote community participation in
national coastal zone planning, management, and decision-making. Various levels of
resource user associations (particularly fishing associations) exist and are encouraged to
become formal institutions. There are three main community development and issue-
based organizations working throughout the islands.
The two riparian countries of Sumatra and Dantu concluded a treaty on the management
and sustainable development of the WRB in 1987. The treaty requires the two countries
to notify and consult each other prior to undertaking developments that have a potential
impact on the basin as a whole. However, neither country has implementing legislation
or well-developed practice in implementing these requirements. There have been recent
concerns in both Sumatra and Dantu regarding the impacts of the different sources of
land-based pollution on the fisheries and other livelihoods in the Delta and along the
coast.
The Project
In 2005, the three coastal countries applied for GEF support to identify and undertake
priority actions for achieving integrated and sustainable coastal and marine management.
They were granted the support in 2007.
The overall goal of the project is to ensure sustainable development of the region through
poverty reduction, ecological sustainability, and macro-economic development. To
achieve these goals, the project includes the following components:
(i) Improve sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal livelihoods;(ii) Reduce sources of pollution, particularly land-based sources of pollution,
affecting these coastal and marine livelihoods;
(iii) Strengthen governance systems at the regional, national, and local levels to
achieve these goals, including:
a. Developing and strengthening policy and legal frameworks for coastal and
marine resource management;
b. Building adaptive capacity of project countries to cope with the effects of
climate change; and
c. Enhancing capacity of institutions to implement and enforce the relevant
policies, laws, and regulations.
Today, you are part of the group of government representatives, project staff, and others
that have been brought together to create a list of stakeholders for project implementation
and identify the necessary next steps for completing a comprehensive stakeholder
- Stakeholder Identification And Analysis A Case Scenario The Winding River Basin Wrb Has Its Origins High In The Moun 1 (264.68 KiB) Viewed 73 times
Answer the following questions:
1. Identify the various stakeholders in the project, including the competition.
Stakeholders should be as specific as possible (someone or organization that you
can go talk to).
For example, having the “People of Dantu” as a stakeholder is vague. You should
instead try to identify someone who clears represents the views and/or interests of
the people of Dantu.
Identify at least 30 stakeholders. Points will be awarded for as many valid and
unique (non-repetitious) stakeholders that you can identify. (10 marks)
2. Categorize these stakeholders by their impact and influence. (5 marks)
3. Use an L-Shaped Matrix to prioritize the top 8 stakeholders that you have
identified. (5 marks)
Stakeholder Identification and Analysis A Case Scenario The Winding River Basin (WRB) has its origins high in the mountain peaks of Sumatra and flows through the rich agricultural plains of Dantu before reaching the sea at the Mangrove Delta. The Winding River is agriculturally and aquatically highly productive and a main contributor to the region's food security and export earnings. Approximately 300 kilometers offshore of Dantu, in the middle of the Fish Sea, is the small independent island nation of Loidong. In 2007, the Global Environment Facility approved a project to support the development of sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal livelihoods; to control and reduce sources of pollution that affect these development opportunities; and to strengthen governance frameworks necessary to achieve these goals. You are part of a group responsible for identifying and analyzing the stakeholders who should be involved in different aspects of project implementation. Environmental and Socio-Economic Overview The headwaters of the Winding River are high in the peaks of Sumatra's central mountain range. Sumatra is a large, coastal country with a high rate of economic growth. In the semi-arid west, groundwater shortages have led farmers and cities to look increasingly to the WRB to supplement scarce supplies. This area is also home to a mix of four rural ethnic minorities that rely on small-scale agriculture and fisheries for livelihoods. These are among the poorest communities in Sumatra. Sufficient access to water for domestic and livelihoods purposes in these communities is a significant problem. The growth of urban centers along the river as it flows towards the border with Dantu has also led to high levels of water pollution from untreated sewage and industrial effluents. Along a main tributary that flows into the Winding River, Sumatra has a well-developed mining industry in the east with several refineries and processing factories. Effluents from these plants are regulated, but largely unenforced, and are impacting the health of the fisheries and water quality for domestic use in large portions of the WRB, as well as in the Mangrove Delta. Dantu is a country with widespread poverty but is rich in natural resources. The current economy of Dantu is based on rice farming, small-scale fisheries, and aquaculture. Farmers rely on the waters of Winding River for irrigation and the diverse fish resources depend on the annual flooding of the Winding River. Fish provides the main source of protein for these communities. Recent changes in the amount and timing of precipitation - thought to be linked to climate change - that is essential to the Winding River's flood cycles has become a major cause of concern, as has pollution throughout the WRB. The WRB comes to the sea at the expansive Mangrove Delta. The fertile soil of the Delta is made of alluvial and marine deposits and is used widely for agriculture (mainly