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On the road to implementing an ecosystem approach to the management of Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem by Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) Programme was a multinational cross-sectoral initiative by Angola, Namibia and South Africa to manage the living marine resources of the Benguela Current LME in an integrated and sustainable manner and to protect the marine environment. It was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under its International Waters portfolio and is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the United Nations Office of Programme Services (UNOPS) as an executing agency. The three member countries provide financial and in-kind contributions.
The BCLME Programme focused on a number of key areas, including fisheries, environmental variability, seabed mining, oil and gas exploration and production, coastal zone management, ecosystem health, socio-economics and governance. The area of interest was the region extending from the northern border of Angola (Cabinda Province) to Port Elizabeth on the southeast coast of South Africa. The east-west boundary extends from the high water mark out to the edge of the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone and further seaward in the region of the Angola-Benguela front.
The Programme has run for five years - from 2002 to 2008 - and is now merged into the Benguela Current Commission (BCC). It had a total budget of US$38 million, including in-kind and cash contributions by stakeholders. It was designed to address transboundary problems in three key areas of activity: the sustainable management and utilisation of living resources; the assessment of environmental variability, ecosystem impacts and improvement of predictability; and maintenance of ecosystem health and management of pollution.
For more information, please refer to BCLME website www.bclme.org.