Distance Learning and Information Sharing Tool for the Benguela Coastal Areas (DLIST-Benguela)

What is DLIST-Benguela?

DLIST stands for Distance Learning and Information Sharing Tool. More than a website, it is a place where governmental and non governmental parties, communities, the private sector, academic and research institutions, development agencies and donors, and individuals interested in coastal development issues can meet, talk, exchange information, and learn about how to use and manage the BCLME in a sustainable manner. Good ideas can change the world… but only if they are shared.

Angola, Namibia and South Africa share the same coast, the same ocean and the same Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME). The people who live along this coast and who use its rich resources can also share ideas, concerns, information, experiences and lessons learned on DLIST.

The target area

The coastal areas of Angola, Namibia and South Africa are influenced by the same oceanic current, the Benguela Current that runs parallel to the coastline from East of Cape Agulhas in South Africa to Northern Angola. The three countries share the rich living marine resources of what is called the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME). The BCLME is one of the World’s most productive marine environments, supporting a rich marine life that includes fish, sea birds and marine mammals. The coastal communities of the three countries have for millennia relied on these resources for their livelihoods.

The three countries also share environmental problems such as habitat loss and pollution, increasing exploitation of straddling fish stocks, impacts associated with mining and oil and gas exploration and production, and the introduction of invasive species from ship ballast water. So the solutions to these problems also need to be shared. The BCLME Programme is one initiative that aims to enhance the cooperative management of this coast and its resources. DLIST aims to share knowledge and promote discussion between coastal stakeholders so they can participate more effectively in the development of their coast and the management of their resources.

How did DLIST start?

DLIST-Benguela has been online since 2000. It started as a pilot project to test the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in integrated development planning in the coastal areas of the Northern Cape, South Africa, and the transfrontier region with Namibia by helping to bridge the information gap.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the World Bank, the pilot phase was implemented by EcoAfrica and received support from IW:Learn. When the pilot phase ended, the BCLME Programme provided bridging funds. The second phase of DLIST started in 2005, with funding from the GEF through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and implemented by International Knowledge Management (IKM), a small NGO. A three-year project is underway to improve the portal and associated functions of information sharing and distance learning, as well as expanding the portal into Angola. If you want to learn more about this project, contact the DLIST Team.

DLIST will soon be replicated in other Large Marine Ecosystems, such as the Agulhas and Somali Currents Large Marine Ecosystem on the other side of the continent.

Contact the DLIST Team:

If you have any queries or suggestions about DLIST-Benguela write us a note
 

1. Suggestions about DLIST?
   Write to the admin team at:

   admin@dlist-benguela.org
    

2. Information to share with other DLIST users?
   Write to our knowledge management team:

   admin@dlist-benguela.org
    

3. Problems registering, logging in or navigating the website?
   Contact the support team:

   support@dlist-benguela.org
    

4. Queries about the courses?
   The academic team will be happy to answer:

   courses@dlist-benguela.org
    

5. Alternatively, you may write a letter to the team at the following address:
   
   DLIST Admin
   3 Bishop Rd
   Observatory 7925
   South Africa