Integrating Ecosystem Services Into Water Resource Management: An Indicator-Based Approach

AbstractNatural ecosystems are fundamental to local water cycles and the water ecosystem services that humans enjoy, such as water provision, outdoor recreation, and flood protection. However, integrating ecosystem services into water resources management requires that they be acknowledged, quantified, and communicated to decision-makers. We present an indicator framework that incorporates the supply of, and demand for, water ecosystem services. This provides an initial diagnostic for water resource managers and a mechanism for evaluating tradeoffs through future scenarios. Building on a risk assessment framework, we present a three-tiered indicator for measuring where demand exceeds the supply of services, addressing the scope (spatial extent), frequency, and amplitude for which objectives (service delivery) are not met. The Ecosystem Service Indicator is measured on a 0–100 scale, which encompasses none to total service delivery. We demonstrate the framework and its applicability to a variety of services and data sources (e.g., monitoring stations, statistical yearbooks, modeled datasets) from case studies in China and Southeast Asia. We evaluate the sensitivity of the indicator scores to varying levels data and three methods of calculation using a simulated test dataset. Our indicator framework is conceptually simple, robust, and flexible enough to offer a starting point for decision-makers and to accommodate the evolution and expansion of tools, models and data sources used to measure and evaluate the value of water ecosystem services.

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Assessing water ecosystem services for water resource management

Environmental Science & Policy ◽

10.1016/j.envsci.2016.04.008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 ◽

pp. 194-203 ◽

Cited By ~ 147

Author(s):

B. Grizzetti ◽

D. Lanzanova ◽

C. Liquete ◽

A. Reynaud ◽

A.C. Cardoso

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Resource Management ◽

Water Resource ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Water Ecosystem

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Women, Water & Well-Being: A Case Study of ‘Kuttadampadam’ in Palakkad, Kerala

Shanlax International Journal of Arts, Science and Humanities ◽

10.34293/sijash.v7i1.534 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 44-49

Author(s):

V Shinju ◽

Aswathi Prasad

Keyword(s):

Resource Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Water Resource ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Well Being ◽

Starting Point ◽

Role Of Women

The natural resources are repository for the survival of all of us, so they must be used efficiently to meet the present needs while conserving them for future generations. An action to develop capacities from global to household levels for their sustainable management and regulation is required henceforth. Of these natural resources, water resources are most precious. If there is no water; there would be no life on earth. Since ‘water is the elixir of life’, water resource management has been considered as one of the most relevant areas of intervention. Understanding the gender dimensions of water resource management is a starting point for reversing the degradation of water resources. Women play an important role here since they have to access the water resources for almost all the activities on a daily basis. As the women are the strong social agents, effective and improved water preservation techniques could be achieved through their empowerment that may eventually lead to the well-being of the households in particular and of the community in general. Therefore, the major research question posed in this study is to analyze the role of women in the preservation and management of water, an inevitable, precious but diminishing natural resource. The study also intends to describe the relationship between the three ‘W's-Women, Water & Well-being. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are essential here as it is a contingent issue in the present scenario. Psychological dimensions were also explored since the issue is affecting the routine life of the community. The case study of women belonging to the Kuttadampadam region was done to explain the role of women in preserving water resources in the areas affecting severe water scarcity.

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Ecosystem Services Demand Management Under Climate Change Scenarios

Advances in Environmental Engineering and Green Technologies - Climate Change and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in Arid and Semi-Arid Zones ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7387-6.ch003 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 45-65

Author(s):

Abdelkrim Ben Salem ◽

Souad Ben Salem ◽

Mohammed Khebiza Yacoubi ◽

Mohammed Messouli

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Demand ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Demand Management ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Water Ecosystem ◽

Storage Volume ◽

Groundwater Reserves ◽

Water Evaluation And Planning

Water ecosystem service is the most important element that supports Tafilalet agro-ecosystems. In this region, drought frequency is increasing, which complicate the management groundwater reserves. The ephemeral flows of the rivers force people to use groundwater to meet the population demand. Consequently, water resource management is of significant importance the sustainability of this area. Water evaluation and planning (WEAP) is useful management software used to evaluate and trace the trend of water demand. This model was applied in case of Ziz basin in order to simulate and analyze the situation of water under different scenarios. The results show an increasing of demand for water irrigation and with introducing modern irrigation scenario. However, a decreasing trend in reservoir storage volume and groundwater storage was projected in Tafilalet.

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Framework for local government to implement integrated water resource management linked to water service delivery

Water SA ◽

10.4314/wsa.v36i4.58424 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

E.H Haigh ◽

H Fox ◽

H Davies-Coleman

Keyword(s):

Resource Management ◽

Local Government ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Water Resource ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Integrated Water Resource Management ◽

Water Service

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Collaborative Modeling Using System Dynamics for Water Resource Management

1st Water Quality, Drought, Human Health and Engineering Conference ◽

10.1115/water2006-20019 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

A. C. Sun ◽

V. C. Tidwell ◽

R. Thomas ◽

J. R. Brainard ◽

P. H. Kobos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Resource Management ◽

Water Resources ◽

Population Growth ◽

System Dynamics ◽

Water Resource ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Historical Data ◽

Hydrologic Cycle ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Collaborative Modeling

Water resource management for most Southwestern states requires collaborative solutions that cross regional, state, and federal judicial boundaries. As most of the region experiences drought-like conditions as well as population growth, there is a growing concern about sustainability of the water resource to meet industrial, agricultural, and residential demands. Technically, seeking a consensus path requires modeling of the hydrologic cycle within a prescribed region. Credible models must capture key interdependencies of various water resources, use historical data for calibration, and provide temporal/spatial resolutions that are aligned with the interests of the decision makers.

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Wetlands as Settings for Human Health: Incorporating Ecosystem Services and Health Impact Assessment into Water Resource Management

BioScience ◽

10.1525/bio.2011.61.9.6 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 61 (9) ◽

pp. 678-688 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Pierre Horwitz ◽

C. Max Finlayson

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Resource Management ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Human Health ◽

Water Resource ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Health Impact Assessment ◽

Health Impact

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Building upon existing adaptive capacity and resilience for sustainable water resource management in an uncertain world

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-21357 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sharlene L. Gomes ◽

Leon M. Hermans

Keyword(s):

Adaptive Capacity ◽

Water Resource ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Decision Makers ◽

System Capacity ◽

Urban Systems ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Resource Governance ◽

Sustainable Water Resource

Urbanization in the Global South brings uncertainty to the planning and management of water resources. Competing demands for water and weak institutional arrangements are creating water insecurity in many peri-urban areas, also known as the urban fringe. The Adaptation Pathways approach may be used design adaptive policies for coping and effectively responding to unpredictable futures in complex and uncertain systems. This approach is being piloted in the H2O-T2S project to support more sustainable urban transitions. &#160;Decision-makers will be supported in shaping water management strategies that are resilient under a variety of urbanization trajectories.These kinds of integrative approaches to guide decision making must consider the existing system capacity to cope with changing dynamics. In peri-urban areas for example, water-related vulnerabilities, are constantly occurring, and actors often need to adapt their strategies in order to cope with negative consequences or benefit from the opportunities these vulnerabilities create. In other words, the existing adaptive capacity of the system must be harnessed and improved upon during the intervention. System resilience is also important. Literature on socio-ecological systems highlights ten components (principles or conditions) of resilient systems. By examining the resilience of existing peri-urban systems, targeted improvements to the institutional context can be made for sustainable water resource governance.Results from this type of baseline assessment of water-related vulnerability, adaptive capacity, and resilience is presented from three case study regions in India (Pune, Hyderabad, and Kolkata). The robustness framework and resilience principles are used for this empirical analysis. This presentation will highlight key differences and similarities between the three geographic, institutional, and socio-economic contexts. &#160;An integrative assessment of water use across peri-urban sectors indicates the trade-offs that are made and the social inequalities that result from them. The findings will be used to structure and decision participatory workshops with peri-urban decision-makers and local actors where they will use the Adaptation Pathways to design context relevant transformative pathways for the future.

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