National Strategy for Environmental Sustainability 2005-2015 and National Environmental Action Plan 2005-2010.

This National Strategy for Environmental Sustainability (NSES) and the National Environmental Action Plan is a nationwide multi-sectoral document aiming to update intended actions and activities to address critical environmental issues that require interventions in the short and medium term. This NSES and the measures that come with it attempt to link the effect of environmental degradation on poverty.
The Strategy outlines different fields in which interventions can lead to a general development in terms of environmental, economic, social, and institutional improvements. These identified fields are (1) Managing Fresh Water Resources to (i) increase water resources to meet growing demands and needs; (ii) efficiently use available water resources; (iii) protect water resources from pollution and wastes; (iv) contribute to the equitable distribution of water among the various users both socially and spatially. These goals are the ones of the National Water Sector Strategy and Investment Program (NWSSIP); (2) Protecting Coastal Zones and Marine Environment with the targets of (i) elaborating Fisheries Management Programs; (ii) elaborating Plans for Integrated Coastal Zones Management (ICZM); (3) Improving Air Quality with the targets of (i) establishing an inventory of “pollution sources” for human settlements; (ii) formulating a strategy for air pollution abatement; (4) Maintaining Forests with the target of developing a national action plan for sustainable forestry; (5) Sustainable Mountain Development with the target of a proper management of mountain resources; (6) Environmentally Land Management with the targets of (i) preventing and/or reducing land degradation; (ii) rehabilitating partly degraded land; and (iii) reclaiming desert land; (iv) promoting an environmentally sound management of agricultural and rural development; (7) Management of Human Settlements; (8) Management of Solid Wastes with the targets of (i) developing Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) modalities in all urban centers; (ii) reducing trends of Rural-Urban Migration.
The national development can be enhanced through an improved production. The document suggests a huge number of strategies, including (i) securing farmers’ water rights; (ii) revitalizing the research based on economic returns and comparative advantage, with emphasis on water use efficiency and rain-fed agriculture, using participatory techniques and integrating socio-economic factors; (iii) improving the irrigation through rehabilitation and renewal of water structures, drainage water reuse, use of pipeline, use of one point collective pumping, and land levelling using modern techniques; (iv) considering the production of high value cash crops that do not use excessive amounts of water.
The environment protection is widely dealt with in the Strategy, mainly with regard for the following issues (i) habitat degradation; (ii) the need for a national inventory and database development of fauna and flora; (iii) the development of a costal zone management plan; (iv) desertification control; (v) the promotion of traditional grazing reserves and modern pest management; (vi) the improvement of waste management, establishment of guidelines for the safe re-use of waste, and incentives to recycling; (vii) the strengthening of fisheries management; (viii) conservation of natural resources with regard to Protected areas, Endemic and Endangered Species, Ex-situ Conservation, Alien Invasive Species; (ix) integration of Biodiversity in sectoral development plans.
The reduction of inequities should be helped starting by (i) improving rural and urban water supply services; (ii) improving rural water services, also mainstreaming gender and involving users associations; (iii) providing drinking water and sanitation for rural areas; (iv) formulating air quality management programs in rural areas; (v) generate and disseminate information on alternative livelihoods involving agricultural production, beekeeping and livestock raising in mountainous areas.