City of Quelimane stakeholders were consulted regarding their challenges and opportunities relating to coastal natural assets. These findings informed all project activities and further areas of engagement.
Quelimane, Mozambique
FACTS & FIGURES
- Quelimane is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province’s largest city.
- Quelimane is approximately 25 km from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais (or “River of the Good Signs”).
- The current population is 349,842.
- Quelimane is extremely prone to floods during Mozambique’s rainy season.
- Challenges related to coastal natural assets include the harvesting/destruction of mangroves, infilling of the estuary with sediment and mud and overfishing.
2018 Achievements
ICLEI Africa engaged with the city’s different department heads regarding the current challenges and opportunities around the city’s coastal natural assets. This also provided an opportunity for ICLEI to share information the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The findings from the different stakeholders informed all the proposed project activities for the city.
A participatory mapping workshop was held to collect existing and available natural asset data that can be used to assist with the broader mapping process. The information (including GIS data) gathered can be used in the city’s planning processes.
2019 Achievements
Uncertainty is not new in decision-making processes. But City Officials from Quelimane now, more than ever before, are required to address today’s short- term pressing needs while preparing for tomorrow’s climate-related impacts and surprises.
In order for city officials to make sound decisions under uncertainty, they are required to follow an approach that is not traditional. One that leaves behind permanence, stability and absolute options, but rather follows a dynamic planning process. This effort has been motivated by the City of Quelimane stakeholders, with support of ICLEI Africa. Our intention if for the framework to form the foundations on which decisions are made in the interest of shaping and implementing effective responses to climate change. The framework considers how national and local plans, policies, strategies and analyses can inform and support decision making in the City of Quelimane, specifically focusing on the difficult choices among strategies and allocation of resources in response to climate change.
Climate change poses a unique set of challenges for the city of Quelimane, given the location, environmental characteristics and the poor and vulnerable communities residing in and around the city. Adaptation is closely linked with development, and therefore for example policies and measures that tackle poverty and inequality simultaneously build adaptive capacity and resilience of communities. Given this relationship it is essential that adaptation needs are taken into consideration and form part of both national and local development plans and decision-making processes.
The decision-making framework developed will hopefully help decision-makers define and consolidate climate adaptation strategies and processes that will help to address the city’s short-term pressing needs especially through development initiatives but also prepare the city for tomorrow’s climate related impacts. It is important to note that the approached presented here will not eliminate uncertainty associated with climate change and solutions but will provide the foundations for informed and strategic decisions.
2020 Achievements
Capacity building and training, including training of how to develop investment cases and Disaster Risk Reduction.
Continued mainstreaming of natural assets into planning processes, using innovative virtual methods and entry points identified by each city (building on the dialogues, activities and processes initiated previously) whilst supporting wrap-up of project activities.
Through the UNA: Coasts for Life project ICLEI Africa appointed a service provider to conduct a high-level review and comparison of five project options, select the most likely to attract finance and then develop the chosen concept to pre-feasibility in line with the relevant funder’s requirements.
The Five project ideas have been developed into project concepts, which can be can be taken forward to pre-feasibility:
- Coastal asset restoration and rehabilitation: Mangroves
- Land stabilisation and carbon sequestration: Sustainable forestry
- Resilience to flooding: Green affordable housing
- Sustainable access to safe water: Solar powered water systems
- Pollution prevention: Coupled urine diversion latrines and biogas digestors
The Sustainable forestry concept was developed into a pre-feasibility study and discussed with potential funders.
Overarching strategic achievements
- Engaging with national ministries to discuss the adoption of the UNA Rivers methodology by project cities in Mozambique as well as the proposed activities for Quelimane City.