The Cahora Bassa Reservoir is in the north-western province of Tete, Mozambique, has a surface area of 2,700 square kilometres, and an east-west orientation. The reservoir and the livelihoods the water body sustain, are of enormous relevance for the economic and environmental prosperity of the province and country. The primary activity in Cahora Bassa is generation of hydroelectric power and water supply; the secondary industries are fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and transportation.
We present a spatial planning framework based on the existing legal context, establishing zoning priorities for human activities and ecosystem sustainability based on ecological and socio-economic suitability of the system for fisheries and aquaculture (e.g. Aguilar-Manjarrez et al., 2017). The framing of zoning requirements includes constraining factors that account for the legal framework and inputs identified from the Fisheries Management Plan (160/2014), a literature review of biological considerations for the main species of fish and a multi-actor analysis. Visual representation of the spatial planning framework was developed using a Geographic Information System (GIS).
Our framework divides Cahora Bassa into 44 zones across the 7 basins of the reservoir. Zones are defined within basins to ensure there is no cross-over among zones and management through basin-level administration. Table 1 shows the available areas per basin available for each fishing type at a water level of 322 metres above mean sea level.
The seven basins within Cahora Bassa were sub-divided into zones of similar area, with the number of zones varying per basin size. Permitted activities include: 0-5 metres water depth for artisanal fishing without boats and no gill net fisheries; 5-20 metres water depth for artisanal fisheries using boats (e.g. gill netting); >20 metres water depth for semi-industrial fisheries, with the additional limitation of minimum 500 metres distance from inhabited areas (Figure 1).
Each zone is operated through a zonal management agreement (ZMA) by a team that includes a Ministry of Fisheries representative and actors from the artisanal fisheries, semi-industrial fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism sectors. Specific ZMA areas would include the dam operator, Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), and other non-fishing stakeholders to ensure their interests are maintained, especially within the Garganta and Màgoé Basins, where power generation activities and National Park interests need to be maintained.
References
Aguilar-Manjarrez, J., Soto, D. & Brummett, R. 2017. Aquaculture zoning, site selection and area management under the ecosystem approach to aquaculture. A handbook. Report ACS18071. Rome, FAO, and World Bank Group, Washington, DC. 62 pp.
Fisheries Management Plan for Fisheries in Cahora Bassa 160/2014 (Plano de Gestão das Pescarias da Albufeira de Cahora Bassa 2014-2018, Diploma Ministerial nº 160/2014)