capstone presentation
TRANSCRIPT
International Water Management, The Preservation of Ecosystems, and Human Well-Being
Global Perspectives Capstone
Kynan Witters Hicks
Courtesy of James F. Scott
Outline
• Motivation• Water: International Issue• Research Question• Thesis • Methods • Ways of Knowing • Case Studies • Arguments and Evidence • Proof of Thesis• Conclusion• Bibliography
Why Water?
21st century – Age of Water Scarcity
Motivation
It matters to us
Ecosystems Services
Direct: - Drinking water - Irrigation for agriculture- Hydroelectric power generation - Recreation- Spiritual value
Indirect: - Nutrient transportation and cycling - Habitat for flora and fauna (fish)- Climate control
Motivation
Alarming Facts
1. Degraded Ecosystems Services Approximately 60% of ecosystem services
examined are degraded or used unsustainably- United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
2. Valued Ecosystem Services Value of 17 ecosystem services for 16 biomes
average $33 trillion per year- Nature
Motivation
Conflict
Insecurity and Instability "water challenges - shortages, poor water quality,
floods, - will likely increase the risk of instability and state failure, [and] exacerbate regional tensions....“
- U.S. Intelligence Council, 2012
Motivation
Three-part challenge
1. Conserve freshwater resources and ecosystems
2. Provide for human well-being
3. Mitigate conflicts over water
Motivation
Crossing Political Boundaries
“The regions that have been shaped by this geography -- beyond nations -- will have to respond to this threat collectively or regionally.”- Sebastian Conrad and Presenjit Duara
Water: International Issue
Holistic International Management
1. 1966 Helsinki Rules on the Uses of the Waters of International Rivers
- International Law Association in Helsinki, Finland
2. 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of the International Watercourses.
Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)
Water: International Issue
Research Question
How can riparian nation-states sharing an international watercourse manage for sustainability across diverse geographical regions and political and socio-economic contexts in order to effectively provide for the welfare of people and the protection of ecosystems?
Research Question
Thesis The extent to which riparian nation-states sharing an international watercourse are able to effectively provide for the welfare of people and the protection of ecosystems depends upon:
(1) the environmental, political, and socio-economic contexts in which they are placed
(2) the degree to which they implement three pillars of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) for successful transboundary water sharing: participate actively and equitable, protect and preserve freshwater ecosystems, and include stakeholders in decision-making
Thesis
Independent Variables
Dependent Variable
Methods
Context Variables • Political
- Political integration and democratic decision-making in regional institutions, policy, and legislation- Individualism vs. cooperation among nation-states in decision-making - Water management structure - Water management in practice
• Socio-economic - Social and economic trends- Public norms and values- Stakeholder representation in policy - Stakeholder representation in practice
• Natural (Environmental) - Pollution from industrial, agricultural, and urban waste- Disruption of rivers’ natural hydrological flows- Destruction of wetlands, natural habitats, and/or fish populations
Methods
Ways of Knowing
Braided Approach:
• Interpretivism
• Annales
• Critical Inquiry
Ways of Knowing
Two Case StudiesCase Studies
Danube River Basin Mekong River Basin
Danube River Basin Case Studies
Danube River Basin • Pollution during the Cold War
• Formation of the European Union, 1951
• Water Framework Directive (WFD), 2000
• International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICDPR)
• Increase in democratic decision-making, government transparency, encouragement of public participation in planning
Case Studies
Mekong River BasinCase Studies
Mekong River Basin • 2nd wave of regionalism
• Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) & Mekong River Commission (MRC)
• Regional pressure to develop rapidly
• 85% of population live in rural areas, many having water related occupations
• Rapid occupational change in rural areas
Case Studies
Argument # 1
Danube Region • Extensive
Hydromorphological alterations (dams, channels, etc.)
• Extensive pollution
Mekong Region• Growing number of
Hydromorphological alterations (dams, channels, etc.)
• Mild pollution
Both regions face human-caused environmental challenges that are currently degrading and destroying freshwater ecosystems and,
consequently, threatening human well-being
Arguments and Evidence
Arguments and Evidence
Figure illustrates places along the length of the Danube River in which the DRB is at risk, possibly at risk, or not at risk from hydrological alterations, hazardous substances, nutrient pollution, and organic pollution. The country abbreviations are as follows: DE - Germany, AT - Austria, SK - Slovak Republic, HU - Hungary, HR - Croatia, RS - the Republic of Serbia, RO - Romania, - BG - BulgariaSource: International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), " Danube River Basin Strategy for Public Participation in River Basin Management Planning 2003-2009," 6.
Arguments and Evidence
Figure shows the cumulative active storage of dams and reservoirs that have been constructed in 6 countries It is predicted that the total storage capacity of reservoirs will significantly increase from about 52km3 to over 100km3 in 2022.
Source: Alebel Abebe Belay, Shah Md. Atiqul Haq, and Vuong Quoc Chien, "The Challenges of Integrated Management of Mekong River Basin in Terms of People's Livelihood," Journal of Water Resources & Protection 2, no. 1 (January 2010): 61.
Argument # 2
Danube Region • WFD provides legal and policy
structure
• ICDPR provides institutional structure
• Literature finds basin nations applying/working to apply water resource management based on internationally recognized principles
Mekong Region• Absence of legal and policy
structure
• GMS and MRC provide institutional structure
• Literature finds water management for ecosystem protection and social well-being largely non-existent
The establishment of legal, policy and institutional structures at the international level are critically important for sustainable
management
Arguments and Evidence
Argument # 3
Danube Region • Decentralization of
management
• Political will to participate in IWRM
• Challenges exist: lack of finance, rapidly shifting responsibilities, etc.
Mekong Region• Centralized management
• Strong political interest in large-scale infrastructural development
• Small scale examples of IWRM projects
Decentralization of water management and political will to participate in IWRM influences the ability of national and local agents
to practice sustainable management
Arguments and Evidence
Argument # 4
Danube Region • High and very high Human
Development Index (HDI)
• Increases in democratic decision-making, government accountability, and transparency
• Greater encouragement of public participation in planning
• Increase sensitivity and activism toward environmental problems
Mekong Region• Low and very low HDI levels
• Lack of democratic decision-making, transparency and government accountability
• Widespread poverty
• Majority of people largely disempowered to participate in planning/ decision-making
High levels of individual freedom and democracy and low levels of poverty facilitate stakeholder inclusion in planning/decision-
making and sustainable water management
Arguments and Evidence
Proof of Thesis
• Strong legal, policy, and institutional structures
• Decentralization of management • Increases in democracy, transparency
The extent to which riparian nation-states sharing an international watercourse are able to effectively provide for the welfare of people and the protection of ecosystems depends upon (1) the environmental, political, and socio-economic contexts in which they are placed and (2) the degree to which they implement three pillars of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) for successful transboundary water sharing: participate actively and equitable, protect and preserve ecosystems, and include stakeholders in decision-making.
• Relatively active participation in IWRM • Greater inclusion of stakeholders in
planning/ decision-making • Environmental protection projects
Proof of Thesis
Danube Region
Progress toward sustainable management
Proof of Thesis
• Absence of legal and policy structures• Weak institutional structures • Centralization of management • Widespread poverty, low levels of
democracy and transparency
The extent to which riparian nation-states sharing an international watercourse are able to effectively provide for the welfare of people and the protection of ecosystems depends upon (1) the environmental, political, and socio-economic contexts in which they are placed and (2) the degree to which they implement three pillars of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) for successful transboundary water sharing: participate actively and equitable, protect and preserve ecosystems, and include stakeholders in decision-making.
• Relatively inactive participation in IWRM
• Exclusion of stakeholders in planning/ decision-making
• Lack of environmental protection
Mekong Region
Unsustainable management
Proof of Thesis
ConclusionConclusion
Courtesy of James F. Scott
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Bibliography