INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

Water Allocation: A Participatory Approach?

Dr Mark SmithDirector

IUCN Water ProgrammeGland, Switzerland

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

‘Environmental flows’

“…the quantity, quality and timing of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human livelihoods and well-being that depend on these ecosystems.”

Flow regime Minimumflow

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350Days since 1 January, 1991

Dis

char

ge, m

3/s

“…negotiated allocation for people and nature within the limits of availability”

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

● slide 9: basin picture plus 3D optimisation

Environmental Flow Management

Assessment: effects of Δ on ● income by sector● ecosystem services● biodiversity● distribution of benefits

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

● uncertainties, unknowns● contested facts, competing interests● complexity

Science

Scenarios

Negotiation

Decision

Pangani Basin Case

Policy, law

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

Synthesis

FlowMgt

Policy & law

Information

Decision

Tools

Capacity Building

Institutions – multi-scale

NegotiationRegula

tion &

Rule

s

Allocation

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE

Outcomes

● Negotiated flow management● policy, law & regulation● institutions, participation● capacity development● consensus building● evidence for decisions

● Pivot to IWRM● Change process

● long-term● ‘pushing the button’?● what’s missing?