Final Report BASELINE STUDY on THE
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BASELINE STUDY ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF ALIEN INVASIVE SPECIES (PROSOPIS) IN THE ORANGE AND FISH RIVERS IN NAMIBIA Final Report Date: 11 December 2020 Report No: ……ORASECOM UNDP/GEF The Support to (The Baseline Study on Distribution and Abundance of Alien Invasive Species (Prosopis) in the Orange and Fish Rivers in Namibia) was commissioned by the Secretariat of the Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) with financial and technical support from the Global Environment Fund (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Prepared by Tortoise Environmental Consultants(TEC) ORASECOM SECRETARIAT (THE BASELINE STUDY ON DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF ALIEN INVASIVE SPEICIES (PROSOPIS) IN THE ORANGE AND FISH RIVERS IN NAMIBIA) Approved by the Consultant: ……………………………………. ……………………………………. Jonas Heita Date Environmental Consultant – Director ORASECOM SECRETARIAT Approved for ORASECOM by: ……………………………………. ……………………………………. Mr Lenka Thamae Date TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION............................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 Terms of Reference (ToR) .............................................................................. 1 Objectives ................................................................................................ 2 Scope of the study as outlined in the ToR ............................................ 2 Deliverables ............................................................................................. 2 STUDY AREA ........................................................................................................ 4 The Orange – Fish River Basin........................................................................ 4 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 6 Methodology ................................................................................................. 6 Mapping of the distribution and density of Prosopis ........................... 6 Identification of sample sites and plots ................................................ 6 Assessments of Prosopis abundance and density ............................. 11 Assessment of the impacts of Prosopis on biodiversity of plant communities .................................................................................................... 11 Data Capturing analysis ....................................................................... 17 Training on methodologies for evaluating the presence and extent of Prosopis ........................................................................................................ 18 INVENTORY OF PROSOPIS IN THE ORANGE-FISH RIVER BASIN ...................... 19 Introduction of Prosopis to Namibia .......................................................... 19 Results on the distribution and density of Prosopis in the Fish-Orange Basin 20 Overall abundance and density of Prosopis in the Fish and Orange Rivers 22 Abundance and density of Prosopis in the Fish River ........................ 22 Abundance and density of Prosopis in the Orange River ................ 23 Abundance of Prosopis Seedlings in the Fish and Orange Rivers .... 24 Height and canopy cover of Prosopis in the Fish and Orange Rivers 25 Health conditions of Prosopis in the Fish and Orange Rivers ............ 28 Number of Prosopis in relation to Other Species ............................... 29 Data Interpretation ...................................................................................... 30 Distribution and abundance of Prosopis ............................................ 30 Prosopis Seedlings ................................................................................. 31 Variations ............................................................................................... 31 Relationship with other Species ........................................................... 32 Prosopis Distribution and Abundance Maps – Overall Maps .................. 33 Entire Orange – Fish Basin ..................................................................... 33 Fish River Section ................................................................................... 35 Orange River Section............................................................................ 36 Prosopis Distribution and Abundance Maps – Fish River Sub-sections ... 37 Fish River – Very high Density ............................................................... 37 Fish River – High Density ........................................................................ 39 Fish River – Moderate Density .............................................................. 41 Fish River – Low Density ......................................................................... 43 Fish River – Very Low Density ................................................................ 45 Fish River – Bare Land............................................................................ 47 Fish – Orange River Confluence (Low – High density) ....................... 49 Prosopis Distribution and Abundance – Orange River Sub-sections ...... 51 Orange River – Very high Density ........................................................ 51 Orange River – High Density ................................................................ 53 Orange River – Moderate Density ....................................................... 55 Orange River – Low Density ................................................................. 57 Orange River – Very Low Density ........................................................ 59 GROUND WATER MONITORING PLAN ........................................................... 61 Excessive Water Use .................................................................................... 61 Monitoring boreholes .................................................................................. 61 Water uptake and Impacts of Prosopis in the Orange – Fish Basin ........ 64 Recommendation for a groundwater monitoring plan .......................... 65 Recommendation for a groundwater monitoring plan .......................... 65 Establish baselines ................................................................................. 66 Establish a groundwater monitoring schedule and analytical Programme ..................................................................................................... 66 Implement groundwater monitoring Programme ............................. 66 Develop a groundwater simulation model ........................................ 66 PROSOPIS CONTROL PROJECTS ..................................................................... 68 Review of previous and/or ongoing projects for clearing Prosopis ........ 68 Working for Water Programme – South Africa ................................... 68 Gibeon and /Ais - /Ais Case Studies ................................................... 68 Recommendations for community Prosopis project................................ 70 Institutional arrangements and organisation of harvesters .............. 71 Dissemination of information and awareness raising to create a sense of ownership and solicit support ......................................................... 72 Creation of incentives for harvesters .................................................. 73 Resource Mobilization .......................................................................... 74 Marketing of Prosopis firewood ........................................................... 75 Creation of Management Information System/Database ............... 76 Monitoring and Evaluation of socio-economic indicators (consider combining with biophysical ones) ................................................................ 76 CONCLUSION................................................................................................... 78 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 79 ANNEXURES ...................................................................................................... 81 Implementation Model / Conceptual Framework................................... 81 Proposed Groundwater Monitoring Plan for the Orange – Fish Basin .... 81 FIGURES Figure 2-1: The Study Area – Orange Fish River Basin .................................................... 5 Figure 3-1: Sampling Sites for Prosopis distribution and density in the Orange – Fish River Basin (Author, 2020) ................................................................................................. 8 Figure 3-2: Sampling Transects, Site #1 Maltahohe – Nomstas, Fish River (Author, 2020). .................................................................................................................................. 9 Figure 3-3: An illustration of how the transects and plots were demarcated for along the Fish and Orange Rivers. ................................................................................ 10 Figure 3-4: Marking a 10m quadrant (plot) across the Fish River at Nomstas in Maltahohe, ...................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 3-5: Marking a 10m quadrant (plot) along the Orange River at .................... 12 Figure 3-6: Marking of Plots using measuring tapes through dense Prosopis infestation .......................................................................................................................