Browsing by Author "Matovu, Baker"

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Decomposing sand mining complexities to chart ocean sustainability narratives and pathways in the coastal zones of Africa
(Elsevier, 2025-03-08) Matovu, Baker; Bleischwitz, Raimund; Lukambagire, Isaac; Etta, Linda A.; Lutalo, Bernard
Coastal zones/states of Africa are some of the leading sand-mining and exporting spots globally, a conduit for lucrative socioeconomic transformation. Unfortunately, in Africa, as with most emerging economies, sand mining benefits have not yielded comprehensive socioecological benefits. Rather, sand mining and trade have spiraled into negative externalities that cataclysmically scupper socioecological systems and ocean sustainability targets. The lack of coherent sand mining governance mechanisms and increasing natural resource contestations, proliferated by bumper global sand demand, have further created dire sustainability indicators/ramifications. The externalities have explosive negative effects on coastal and marine ecosystems that sustain livelihoods. These have spilled into unsustainable socioecological outcomes,cremating the avenues for realizing Agenda 2063 of Africa’s Ocean Decade and sustainable actions, necessitating urgent redress. This study digs deeper into the literature on sand mining in Africa to kickstart new epochs for sustainable sand mining in Africa that are replicable. A systematic literature review of 2514 peer-reviewed articles and 15 grey literature, including policy documents and reports on sand mining, were explored and analyzed using a bibliometric analysis technique. A bibliometric analysis entailed the uncovering of three key issues (i) sand mining research and policy trends/ directions in Africa, including their complexity in tandem with the sustainability trilogy (ii) ramifications of the current sand mining landscape to/on ocean sustainability pillars (social, economic, institutional, scientific &environmental) and (iii) thematic mapping/analysis to highlight the current governance mechanisms (including sustainability issues/gaps therein). Findings revealed that Africa’s coastal states are some of the leading sand exporters but lose most of their revenue by reimporting sand from middle or high-income states. Research on sand mining has receded. If it exists, it is led by a few countries and western (developed/richer) institutions/scholars. Increasing sand mining is associated with increase in socioecological vulnerabilities. Africa’s coastal regions experiencing unsustainable sand mining are losing critical natural and social livelihood capitals. Governance mechanisms are unsustainable. Few powerful actors (including an emerging network of African oligarchs and foreign companies/individuals), operate or manage the sand-mining value chains. There is limited understanding of the environmental, social, and governance nexus and its relationship to local and global development targets. To chart/regurgitate sustainable narratives for sustainable sand mining, a new pathway called the SSMAP (Sustainable Sand Mining Action Pathway) that has five key interrelated steps has been developed. Localizing the SSMAP and incorporating emerging co-governance pathways in micro-settings could help identify leverage points for collaborative and voluntary engagements/governance on sand mining. Scaling up the SSMAP (micro to macro levels) could help build evidence-based inventories and transformative options to co-design coherent transnational governance mechanisms. Such mechanisms could bolster the monitoring of sand mining, legitimize sustainable sand mining operations and value chains, and lay the foundations for better coastal socioecological livelihood and development indicators.
Mobilizing evidence-based knowledge for sustainable wetlands co-management and co-governance amidst increasing anthropogenic and environmental stressors: key lessons from Mityana District, Uganda
(Elsevier - ScienceDirect, 2024-09-23) Matovu, Baker; Lee, Ming-An; Mammel, Mubarak; Lukambagire, Isaac; Lutalo, Bernard; Mwangu, Ronald Alex; Mwabvu, Bridget; Mim, Akther Tahmina; Bbira, Yasin; Lubega, Yasin; Muhoozi, Yosia
Wetlands (covering about 1.5–1.6 billion hectares globally), are critical biodiversity and livelihood hotspots. Wetlands further replenish the global economy with $47.4 trillion/year worth of ecosystem services. By jealously guarding wetlands, progress toward sustainable development goals, and livelihood welfare are possible. Unfortunately, despite the promulgation of wetland governance mechanisms, 35 percent of the global natural wetlands have been lost since the 1970s. This could be worse in undocumented or explored wetland zones situated in remote tropical regions. In this study, we bring to the fore insights from 286 documents sourced from Scopus and engagements from 105 citizens in Mityana, to (i) map wetlands (including the current vulnerabilities and threats), and (ii) co-develop a wetlands management action pathway that could create sustainable co-management possibilities and sustainable livelihood futures. Findings revealed that although research on wetlands has increased for the last 31 years, since 2021, it has plummeted. In Uganda, wetland research and scholarship is predominantly situated around the Lake Victoria region. Most research focuses on natural or biological sciences. Emerging policy themes and trending research topics are shifting from key wetland management paradigms. From a total of 105 sampled wetlands scattered across fourteen (14) sub-counties in the Mityana district, critical wetland issues were unraveled. Mityana is crossed by two wetland systems (Lake Wamala and River Mayanja dominated by permanent papyrus and seasonal swamps respectively. Wetlands offer unique livelihood, cultural assets/capitals, and ecological benefits (including cultural/aesthetics meaning). An unfathomable rate of degradation is evident. Anthropogenic factors are the predominant threat drivers, especially eucalyptus planting. The loss of culturally valuable wetlands has increased socio-cultural-ecological grief, such as around Lake Wamala. Micro-level management actions are increasing, albeit mainly around accessible permanent wetlands. Most riparian wetland sedentary populations expressed willingness and interest in the co-management and governance of community wetlands. More robust actions and pathways are needed to create avenues for community co-management. The co-developed the sustainable wetlands management action pathway (SWeMAP) provides seven (7) coherent steps, including critical social science insights that could aid sustainable wetlands governance and management across geographies. As wetlands in Uganda have been gazetted as critical to sustainable development, the urgent co-development and financing of micro-level wetland action plans, including situational inventories could help create avenues for sustainable wetlands management. Uganda
Where and how can Africa and Indian leverage the blue economy opportunities of the Indian Ocean region as a driver for sustainable development and partnerships?
(Elsevier, 2025-08-23) Matovu, Baker; Akther, Tahmina Mim; Lutalo, Bernard
Through the blue economy (BE), Africa and India can attain sustainable development, transnational partnerships, and continental engagement targets, never been seen before. However, efforts on how this could be done have been pedestrian and less explored. This review and perspective paper utilizes a bibliometric analysis technique to analyze 1712 documents, systematically sourced from Scopus. Thus, this paper situates itself as one of the first scholarly pieces to comprehensively highlight strategic aspects that could advance sustainable Africa-India regional development partnership. Mixed comparative results are found in the literature. Since 2012, research on the BE in Africa and India has increased. The BE is emphasized as a critical topical issue in Africa, albeit this is mostly led by non-African scholars and institutions. In India, most BE research perspectives target regional issues, e.g., in the Indo-Pacific region. African researchers have published more in high-impact journals compared to their Indian counterparts. The annual growth rate of research on the BE in India is comparatively higher than that of Africa (8.69 to 5.49 percent, respectively). However, the average citations of research in all regions are declining. African authors have higher national and international co-authorship collaborations. Collaborations between Africa and India on the BE are few. Most country-level collaborations are with developed nations. Nevertheless, there is recognition of the increasing vulnerability of Africa’s and India’s coastal communities to megatrends and marine environmental threats. Most documents emphasize that the resource endowments in the Indian Ocean (IO) could mitigate maritime challenges to socioeconomic development and environmental stewardship. Five valuable findings are emphasized: (1) the BE is essential to the prospects of sustainable development, (2) inclusive and sustainable actions are needed to address coastal socioecological shifts, (3) several BE solutions are proposed but not put into practice, and (4) BE partnerships in the IO must include China and other emerging states of the Global South, and (5) the IO is paramount towards sustainable BE between Africa and India. Borrowing from the literature insights, and as a contribution to BE-led sustainable development partnerships between Africa and India, five strategic leverage points are identified and developed: socio-cultural, economic, institutional, environmental, and scientific. As the development of BE engagements and partnership is a new development arena in Africa and India, policymakers and researchers should: (a) initiate the Africa-India BE journal, b) leverage and link Africa’s and India’s existing BE initiatives, visions, and programs, c) reimagine Africa and India’s development connotations, d) start slowly but consistently, and e) recognize existing shared sustainability or sustainable development visions. To achieve this, the IO must be recognized as a shared natural resource that has the potential to compartmentalize and link the proposed leverage points. Thus, policymakers and researchers must work towards rejuvenating shared ties, histories, vulnerabilities, and BE visions. This can help strengthen regional partnerships, trust, and collaborations for a better and sustainable BE.