scholarly journals Water-food-energy nexus for transboundary cooperation in Eastern Africa

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamdy Elsayed ◽  
Slobodan Djordjevic ◽  
Dragan Savic ◽  
Ioannis Tsoukalas ◽  
Christos Makropoulos
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Transboundary Rivers ◽  
Hydropower Generation ◽  
System Operation ◽  
Transboundary Cooperation ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Cooperation Mechanism ◽  
Transboundary River Basins

Abstract Establishing cooperation in transboundary rivers is challenging especially with the weak or non-existent river basin institutions. A nexus-based approach is developed to explore cooperation opportunities in transboundary river basins while considering system operation and coordination under uncertain hydrologic river regimes. The proposed approach is applied to the Nile river basin with a special focus on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), assuming two possible governance positions: with or without cooperation. A cooperation mechanism is developed to allocate additional releases from the GERD when necessary, while a unilateral position assumes that the GERD is operated to maximize hydropower generation regardless of downstream users' needs. The GERD operation modes were analysed considering operation of downstream reservoirs and varying demands in Egypt. Results show that average basin-wide hydropower generation is likely to increase by about 547 GWh/year (1%) if cooperation is adopted when compared to the unilateral position. In Sudan, hydropower generation and water supply are expected to enhance in the unilateral position and would improve further with cooperation. Furthermore, elevated low flows by the GERD are likely to improve the WFE nexus outcomes in Egypt under full cooperation governance scenario with a small reduction in GERD hydropower generation (2,000 GWh/year (19%)).

scholarly journals A coupled modeling framework for sustainable watershed management in transboundary river basins

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 6275-6288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassaan Furqan Khan ◽  
Y. C. Ethan Yang ◽  
Hua Xie ◽  
Claudia Ringler
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Watershed Management ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Ecosystem Health ◽  
Water System ◽  
River Basins ◽  
System Model ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Transboundary River Basins ◽  
Water Uses

Abstract. There is a growing recognition among water resource managers that sustainable watershed management needs to not only account for the diverse ways humans benefit from the environment, but also incorporate the impact of human actions on the natural system. Coupled natural–human system modeling through explicit modeling of both natural and human behavior can help reveal the reciprocal interactions and co-evolution of the natural and human systems. This study develops a spatially scalable, generalized agent-based modeling (ABM) framework consisting of a process-based semi-distributed hydrologic model (SWAT) and a decentralized water system model to simulate the impacts of water resource management decisions that affect the food–water–energy–environment (FWEE) nexus at a watershed scale. Agents within a river basin are geographically delineated based on both political and watershed boundaries and represent key stakeholders of ecosystem services. Agents decide about the priority across three primary water uses: food production, hydropower generation and ecosystem health within their geographical domains. Agents interact with the environment (streamflow) through the SWAT model and interact with other agents through a parameter representing willingness to cooperate. The innovative two-way coupling between the water system model and SWAT enables this framework to fully explore the feedback of human decisions on the environmental dynamics and vice versa. To support non-technical stakeholder interactions, a web-based user interface has been developed that allows for role-play and participatory modeling. The generalized ABM framework is also tested in two key transboundary river basins, the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia and the Niger River basin in West Africa, where water uses for ecosystem health compete with growing human demands on food and energy resources. We present modeling results for crop production, energy generation and violation of eco-hydrological indicators at both the agent and basin-wide levels to shed light on holistic FWEE management policies in these two basins.

scholarly journals Water assessment in transboundary river basins: the case of the Medjerda River Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrianirina Sedera Rajosoa ◽  
Chérifa Abdelbaki ◽  
Khaldoon A. Mourad
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Transboundary River Basins ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Over Exploitation

AbstractWater resources in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) face over-exploitation and over-pollution due to population growth, climate change and the lack of advanced water governance approaches. These challenges become more serious in transboundary river basins and may lead to conflict between riparian countries. The main objective of this paper is to assess water resources and needs at the Medjerda River Basin (MRB), shared by Tunisia and Algeria using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system between 2020 and 2050. Four scenarios were built to assess the current and future status of the water supply and demands in both countries. The results show that water demands, and shortages are increasing, and some demand sites will face real water scarcity in the future due to climate change and development practices. Therefore, new allocation and management plans should be examined at the regional level based on real collaboration among all stakeholders.

scholarly journals Evaluating trust and shared group identities in emergent social learning processes in the Zambezi river basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline K. Lumosi ◽  
Claudia Pahl-Wostl ◽  
Geeske Scholz
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Transboundary Cooperation ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Transboundary River Basin ◽  
Group Identities ◽  
Social Learning Processes

AbstractSocial learning in natural resource management is considered important for addressing complex problems by supporting multi-stakeholder interactions in problem framing and co-construction of solutions. Despite the considerable progress in the social learning discourse, few scholars have empirically examined relational features in social learning interactions. Relational features such as trust and shared group identities are important for supporting engagement and interaction among actors. This study analyzed emergent social learning processes in transboundary river basin cooperation processes in the Zambezi basin. To do this, data was conducted through in-depth interviews with diverse actors, observations of participatory workshops, and review of documents on transboundary cooperation processes in the Zambezi basin. The study evaluated how trust and shared group identities shaped learning spaces (opportunities for interaction, deliberation and reframing) and in turn impacted transboundary river basin cooperation. The study found that trust and shared group identities had a crucial impact on learning spaces and in turn impacted transboundary river basin cooperation in the Zambezi basin. The results suggest that leveraging on trust and shared group identities can play a critical role in stimulating cooperation processes. However, it is not a guarantee for cooperation. This study highlights that structural-learning spaces such as institutions support the development of binding commitments and enduring shared practices. However, success of such institutionalization is strongly influenced by the prior development of trust and a shared social identity.

scholarly journals Evolutionary cooperation in transboundary river basins

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yu ◽  
Pngzhong Tang ◽  
Jianshi Zhao ◽  
Bo Liu ◽  
Dennis Mclaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Repeated Game ◽  
Equilibrium Strategy ◽  
Transboundary Cooperation ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Transboundary River Basins ◽  
Wide Range

<p>Cooperation in transboundary river basins can make water resources systems more efficient and benefit riparian stakeholders. However, in a basin with upstream and downstream stakeholders that have different interests, non-cooperative outcomes have often been observed. These can be described by a one shot prisoners’ dilemma game where non-cooperation (defection) is a dominant equilibrium strategy. However, cooperative outcomes have also been observed in several transboundary settings, such as the Lancang-Mekong River Basin (LMRB) in Asia. Such cooperation motivates our research effort to refine relevant game theoretic descriptions to account for the evolution of players’ behaviors, from conflict to cooperation. In this study, a repeated game model is proposed to analyze evolutionary transboundary cooperation. A generalized evolutionary cooperation pattern with four stages is summarized, starting with non-cooperation and ending with in-depth cooperation. The LMRB and three other typical transboundary river management case studies are chosen to validate our theoretical findings. Upstream and downstream stakeholder behaviors are analyzed for these case studies, in accordance with a game payoff matrix that accounts for incentives to cooperate. The results indicate that patience and incremental benefits can lead stakeholders to adopt a cooperative equilibrium strategy if appropriate institutional mechanisms are in place. Such mechanisms can be developed through negotiations that recognize the wide range of stakeholder interests that may influence the decision to cooperate. Our analysis suggests that game theory can provide useful insights into the conditions and institutional mechanisms that foster cooperative strategies for managing transboundary water resources.</p>

Socio-hydrological approach to understand conflict and cooperation dynamics in transboundary rivers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
jing wei ◽  
Mohammad Ghoreishi ◽  
Felipe Souza ◽  
You Lu ◽  
Fuqiang Tian
Keyword(s):  
Hydrological Regime ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Feedback Loops ◽  
Transboundary Rivers ◽  
Socioeconomic Conditions ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Conflict And Cooperation ◽  
Transboundary River Basins ◽  
Transboundary Watersheds

<p>Transboundary river basins share a complex network of environmental, economic, political, social and security interdependencies. Consequently, transboundary river systems are characterized by evolving conflict and cooperation dynamics between riparian states. The current literature on transboundary watersheds does not identify the key feedback loops between interconnected political, cultural, institutional and socioeconomic factors. This work compares sociohydrological models of three transboundary rivers (Nile River, Columbia River, and Lancang-Mekong River) with distinct characteristics in terms of hydrological processes and socioeconomic conditions. Conflict/cooperation dynamics within these three models were found to be driven by hydrological regime, economic benefits, power imbalance and institutional capacity. By comparing the contextual factors of the emergent conflict/cooperation dynamics across these three river basins, our synthesis study aims to present a general framework that explains how conflict/cooperation dynamics emerge from the interaction between human and hydrological systems.</p>

scholarly journals A Coupled Modeling Framework for Sustainable Watershed Management in Transboundary River Basins

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassaan F. Khan ◽  
Y.-C. Ethan Yang ◽  
Hua Xie ◽  
Claudia Ringler
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Watershed Management ◽  
Ecosystem Health ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Transboundary River Basins ◽  
Water Uses

Abstract. There is a growing recognition among water resources managers that sustainable watershed management needs to not only account for the diverse ways humans benefit from the environment, but also incorporate the impact of human actions on the natural system. Coupled natural-human system modeling through explicit modeling of both natural and human behavior can help reveal the reciprocal interactions and coevolution of the natural and human systems. This study develops a spatially scalable, generalized modeling framework consisting of a process-based distributed hydrologic model (SWAT) and a decentralized water systems model (ABM) to simulate the impacts of water resources management decisions that affect the food-water-energy-environment (FWEE) nexus at a watershed scale. Agents within a river basin are geographically delineated based on both political and watershed boundaries and represent key stakeholders of ecosystem services. Agents decide about the priority across three primary water uses: food production, hydropower generation and ecosystem health within their geographical domains. Agents interact with the environment (streamflow) through the SWAT model and interact with other agents through a parameter representing willingness to cooperate. The innovative two-way coupling between the water systems model and SWAT enables this framework to fully explore the feedback of human decisions on the environmental dynamics and vice versa. This generalized ABM framework is tested in two key transboundary river basins, the Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia and the Niger River Basin in West Africa, where water uses for ecosystem health compete with growing human demands on food and energy resources. We present modeling results for crop production, energy generation and violation of eco-hydrological indicators at both the agent and basin-wide levels to shed light on holistic FWEE management policies in these two basins.

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