Aims and Objectives

The broad objective of this project is to promote inter-disciplinary, interregional and international knowledge sharing, networking and collaboration between a range of stakeholders; namely: policy makers, researchers, government organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) with a specific remit and or interest in the sustainable and integrated management of water, biological diversity and livelihoods in semi-arid Africa. The project will focus on the Mara river basin as a case study but will draw upon the expertise of individuals and organizations from a number of other vulnerable river basins throughout Africa .

To achieve this general objective a number of specific, strategic objectives have been set. These are to:

1. Develop a generic web-hosted interactive database resource and information system for policy makers, researchers and practitioners, detailing information on existing research, policies and management initiatives aimed at integrated water resource management (IWRM), conservation of biodiversity (CBD) and sustainable livelihoods (SL) in the Mara river basin.
2. Organise a pan-African stakeholder policy forum with invited representatives of stakeholder groups from river basins throughout Africa to review the data base resource and to identify the gaps and linkages between research projects, policies and management initiatives.
3. Promote interregional and international networking, knowledge sharing and collaboration between researchers, policy makers and practitioners working on IWRM, CBD and SL in the Mara catchment and in other vulnerable river basins of Africa .

The major outputs of the SSA will be the establishment of a web-hosted, interactive database resource for coordinating information on IWRM, CBD and SL in the Mara river basin. This will provide a system for knowledge sharing to strengthen inter-personal and institutional collaboration between projects, management programmes and responsible authorities for sustainable management of water, biodiversity and livelihoods within the Mara river basin. In addition, a synthesis of the outputs from the pan-African stakeholder policy forum will be published as a policy brief and made available to stakeholders at all levels. Together these outputs will provide the foundation for a conceptual framework for new research, improved policy initiatives and equitable partnerships between key stakeholders in the management of one of the most vulnerable river basins in the semi-arid regions of Africa . Dissemination of best practice in riparian catchment management will be continued via a web-based interactive database / information system, to achieve the twin goals of conserving biodiversity and improving livelihoods in the region.

INCO-DEV

The INTREPID project is funded under the EC INCO-DEV programme which was set up to promote scientific and technological cooperation internationally; to reinforce Community capacities in the fields of science and technology; to support the achievement of scientific excellence within the wider international framework; and to contribute to the implementation of the Community's external policy.

• Contract number INCO-CT-2007-043784
• Integrated Trans-boudary River Management Policy Development
• The project began  on 01/04/2007 and will run until 31/03/2008
• Total EC contribution is € 148,850