Regional Exchange on Stewardship Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships: Socio-ecological Transformation through Ecohydrology

In Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, stakeholders are facing a similar challenge: How to manage natural resources in areas with extreme resource use pressure, such as zones with water and soil scarcity or very resource-intensive production processes? And how to do this in a collaborative and socially just manner? In such contexts, stewardship multi-stakeholder partnerships (SMSPs) are a valuable tool to advance a socio-ecological transformation, balancing environmental protection, economic development, and social equity.

To support inter-country dialogue and learning on the SMSP approach, the Natural Resources Stewardship Programme (NatuReS), implemented by GIZ, recently convened partners (public, private and civil society) for a two-day practical expert exchange. The “Regional Exchange Workshop on Stewardship Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships” took place on 3-4 June 2025 in Hawassa, Ethiopia, bringing together more than 30 experts from South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia as well as from within Ethiopia. It explored how innovative approaches for sustainable natural resource management can be developed in a collective manner, with a focus on ecohydrology and other nature-based solutions for catchment restoration. Ecohydrology is an interdisciplinary approach that uses the interactions between water and ecosystems to improve water availability and water quality, restore degraded landscapes, and enhance the resilience of water systems.

Read our brochure on landscape restoration through ecohydrology at Lake Hawassa here. 

Opening: Emphasising Sustainable Resource Use and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships 

Opening the workshop, Mr Shiferaw Negash welcomed the partners on behalf of the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and its Director General H.E. Lelise Neme. In light of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, he stressed the importance of sustainable resource use for both economic development and environmental protection and recognised GIZ’s long-standing work in Ethiopia. Mr Shiferaw specifically emphasised the need for collective tangible action through an inclusive whole-of-society approach.

He was followed by Mr Stephan Lidsba, Cluster Coordinator for the Climate Change Cluster at GIZ Ethiopia, who highlighted the value of learning from the diverse expertise present in the room – from the private sector, public institutions, and civil society. He also drew attention to how the technical issues discussed contribute to the wider strategic objectives of the respective national governments and encouraged participants to engage in constructive discussions and forge lasting partnerships.

Spotlight on the NatuReS Programme and the Protecting Lake Hawassa Partnership

Following the opening remarks, Mr James Njeru from GIZ introduced the NatuReS Programme and the Protecting Lake Hawassa Partnership (PLH). Established in 2018, PLH has brought together stakeholders to jointly address environmental, economic, and social risks affecting the sub-basin, including pollution, erosion, water scarcity, and wetland degradation. To do this, the partners from the public and private sector and civil society engage in working groups on afforestation and soil erosion control, waste management, as well as community and stakeholder engagement. Notable achievements include the construction of 1,300 km of terraces, 15 km of check dams, and the rehabilitation of 150 hectares of degraded land. Mr Njeru specifically highlighted the imperative to connect natural resources protection with livelihoods to achieve a socio-ecological transformation, as exemplified by the launch of a local honey-processing cooperative (more on this below).

Understanding the risks of natural resources degradation in Ethiopia

The challenges PLH is addressing are not unique to Hawassa. Ethiopia, known as the “water tower of Africa”, paradoxically faces significant water stress. Dr Simeneh Shiferaw from Wetlands International outlined major challenges such as limited access to safe drinking water, pollution from agriculture, industry, and domestic waste, and growing pressure from population growth and urbanisation. Governance and infrastructure gaps further exacerbate water degradation. To address this, he emphasised the need for a holistic multi-stakeholder approach prioritising stronger policies, investment, technology, community engagement, and capacity building. After all, the call for joint action is clear: Studies estimate up to 8.5% of GDP losses annually in case of continued environmental degradation, including water issues, posing a significant threat to Ethiopia’s economic development.

Showcasing success stories in ecohydrology

Despite these challenges, there are also successful examples of how ecohydrological approaches can be part of the solution for Ethiopia:

• Dr Mulugeta Dadi from Hawassa University started the session by presenting the technical aspects of terrestrial ecohydrology and highlighting its role in supporting ecosystem services and promoting community stewardship. Using examples from farmlands, hillsides, and gullies around Hawassa, he emphasised that the interventions can never just be technical and must always consider socio-ecological factors to be successful. Communities seeing and feeling the benefits is key to gain farmers’ support and achieve long-term stewardship. Dr Mulugeta’s presentation featured before-and-after images of ecohydrological interventions, displaying the clear impact of ecohydrological measures.

• Mr Wondwosane Abeje from the Ministry of Water and Energy shared a video documentary on ecohydrology efforts for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) made in Ethiopia. It showcased six sites established by the Ministry tackling issues like water pollution, invasive species, flood control, soil restoration, landslide prevention, and coffee waste treatment. Three of these sites are now also recognised as UNESCO ecohydrology demonstration sites. Key success factors include community ownership, system integration, and ongoing monitoring, while challenges remain in remote access, short rainy seasons, and limited funding.

• A third case study was presented by Dr Assefa Tessema from Wollo University who shared insights on the sustainable management of Lake Hayik. The lake’s ecosystem faces challenges such as overfishing, pollution, solid waste, eutrophication, siltation and extreme flow variations. To reduce degradation and enhance ecosystem services, the restoration project implemented three types of ecohydrology: terrestrial, urban, and aquatic. Dr Tessema highlighted the key achievements as gully rehabilitation, slope and riverbank stabilisation. Further, Lake Hayik’s registration as a UNESCO ecohydrology demonstration site in October 2024 marked a significant milestone.

Scaling up ecohydrology

After these project examples, Mr Debebe Deferso and Mr Yirgalem Esuneh from the Ministry of Water concluded the presentations with an outlook on scaling up ecohydrology in Ethiopia. As next steps they outlined plans to establish a national technical team to scale up measures to the national level, evaluate the performance of demonstration sites, renew the Africa Center of Ecology in Addis Ababa, facilitate a national IWRM programme, strengthen basin planforms, shift from demonstration sites to implementation units at watershed/basin level and link ecohydrology with green legacy initiatives. The Ministry also wants to engage further in best practice and knowledge transfer. This includes plans to upgrade ecohydrology sites and register with UNESCO for the international learning sites capacity development programme. And secondly, the Ministry plans to organise an international symposium such as this exchange workshop in Hawassa for ecology demonstration sites.

After the presentations, participants engaged in active discussion on stakeholder cooperation and the partnership process with the experts. In breakout groups they discussed challenges as well as best practices related to catchment degradation in their respective countries. They were then invited to compare those approaches with ecohydrology and reflect on the potential to apply ecohydrology through stewardship multi-stakeholder partnerships in their own national contexts.

Practical insights from the catchment

Day 2 of the exchange workshop featured field trips to observe and learn firsthand about project sites in the Lake Hawassa catchment. This offered opportunities for direct engagement with local communities and a close-up view of the benefits achieved by collective action:

At the Boricha gully, efforts focused on restoring the highly degraded land through ecohydrology. Following a project briefing by Dr Mulugeta Dadi, participants engaged in a detailed Q&A session with both Dr Mulugeta and community representatives. The site is also a good example for the socio-ecological aspect highlighted in the presentations on Day 1. After six years, it has seen significant rehabilitation from degraded into once again productive land now starting to be used for cultivation by the local community, with support and training from the University.

The second destination was the Sama Ejersa Honey Producing and Processing Association. Here, community representatives welcomed the group and explained how – equipped with and trained on modern apiculture equipment by the PLH partnership – they have been able to increase their harvest and income. Now in their second harvest, the association successfully links sustainable resource management with livelihood support, reducing the farmer’s dependence on soil-based activities.

Looking ahead: next steps for stewardship multi-stakeholder partnerships in the 4 countries

Reflecting on the impressions and learnings from the workshop, participants gathered again in country teams to discuss what next steps they would like to take to support stewardship multi-stakeholder partnerships and what resources they would need to do so:

• The partners from South Africa stressed the need to increase private sector involvement and funding via strong business cases and documented stories of change. They also highlighted improving community participation, especially among women and youth, to ensure ownership and long-term sustainability. 

• The partners from Tanzania focused on scaling up the Sustainable Water Management (SUWARMA) approach – suppported by NatuReS in Tanzania – by building community capacity for long-term maintenance. They emphasised leveraging expertise from all relevant actors, including universities, indigenous knowledge and the private sector, when expanding to new catchments. 

• Team Zambia highlighted the importance of proactive measures, such as early community engagement to prevent degradation in the first place. They also advocated for the promotion of alternative livelihoods and payment for ecosystem services to encourage adoption of restoration measures.

• And lastly, the representatives from Ethiopia joint others in calling for increased involvement of local business, e.g. through CSR programs and identification of joint risks. The group also discussed formal recognition of multi-stakeholder platforms as legal entities to strengthen their ability to deliver and ensure sustainability. Regarding community involvement, they argued for building a better understanding for environmental issues e.g. through school programs to lay the foundation for stewardship.

The regional exchange concluded with a shared sense of purpose and renewed commitment to collaborative natural resource stewardship. It also reaffirmed the value of regional learning and collaboration with partners facing similar challenges. This was echoed in the closing remarks by Mr Njeru, GIZ, as he urged participants to make use of the new networks formed. Equipped with new knowledge and practical insights from the field, participants left inspired to apply ecohydrology and other approaches for sustainable natural resource management through multi-stakeholder collaboration in their own countries, paving the way for a Just Transition with fair and sustainable outcomes for all.