5th WASAMED Workshop

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The Integration of collaborative indicator
development in water saving strategies and
policies

• Dirk Günther
• Institute of Environmental Systems Research,
• University of Osnabrück, Germany

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Outline

• Introduction
• Methods used for the study
• Backgrounds on
• Integrated Water Resource Management
• Indicators within IWRM
• Participatory approaches in indicator
  development/selection
• Current state in the Mediterranean
• Conclusions

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Introducion I

• Water scarcity problems in most of the
  Mediterranean countries
• Water resource management follows mostly a single
  sector supply based approach increasing the water
  supply possibilities with command and control
  managementgt NOT ADEQUATE
• Collective action is needed within in a broader
  approach considering all factors influencing
  water resources, their interactions and driving
  forces to elaborate sustainable water resource
  management strategies

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Introduction II

• Deriving of the approach of Integrated Water
  Resource Management and Integrated Assessment as
  a framework for water saving strategies in the
  Mediterranean
• Importance of effective indicator use and the
  impact for the development / selection of
  indicators
• Evaluating the overall state in the Mediterranean
  region

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Methods used

• Literatur review
• Evaluation of previous WASAMED reports and
  presentations
• Review of results and experiences from other
  project case studies on water management in the
  Mediterranean
• Review of scientific literature on the theme
• Field studies with interviews
• Iberian Penisular (Spain/Portugal)
• Morocco
• Turkey

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Background Integrated Water Ressource Management
(IWRM) I

• IWRM has the goal to integrate knowledge from
  different disciplines and relevant stakeholders
  about an environmental problem along the whole
  chain of causes and effects
• IWRM is NOT a blue print, but has to consider
  local circumstances
• The institutional architecture of water
  management and use is central to policy making,
  i.e. water saving policies
• But management approaches are also political as
  they reflect the norms and perceptions of the
  involved actors
• Therefore a broad involvement of relevant
  stakeholder is evident

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Background Integrated Water Ressource Management
(IWRM) II

• Factors of successful management (Adger, 2003)
• Definition of the boundaries of the physical
  resource
• If local knowledge is used then this increase the
  chances of success through reducing enforcement
  costs
• The greater the reliance on the resource within a
  livelihood system, the greater the chances of
  success
• Definition of the user group and other relevant
  actors
• Congruence between appropriation and provision
  rules and local conditions

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Background Integrated Water Ressource Management
(IWRM) III

• Adaptation of the approach in several
  international documents and conventions since the
  1990s
• Blue Plan
• International Conference on Water (Mar del Plata)
• Dublin conference and principles on water and
  environment
• Documents of the four World Water Forums.
• Integrated management approaches needs an
  integrated assessment gt Indicators for all
  relevant aspects
• Assessment, i.e. indicators have to consider
  environmental, social, economic, institutional,
  geo-morphological and hydrological aspects

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Background Indicator use and developement I

• Management processes in general and WRM in
  particular require the use of indicators.
• Indicators are considered as important
  INSTRUMENTS to provide insights to the systemy,
  to assess the interested issues and to describe
  a desired future stage of the system
• But indicators cant provide a complete and
  entire picture of the relaity and come with
  information loss and uncertainties
• The selection process of indicators is very
  important to ensure the adequacy of the provided
  picture of the system.
• A meaningful and effective indicator system
  should be focused to a clear purpose and reflect
  the norms and values of a community

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Background Indicator use and developement II

• There are already many indicator sets existing
• Development / selection has to be driven be the
  relevance of the issue
• All indicator work is political
• In local and regional sustainable development
  processes several studies raised evidence that a
  collaborative approach to develop indicator can
  increase the quality and effectiveness of both
  the indicators themselves and the underlying
  management process
• Indicators are not only instruments through their
  application, but also the development can be an
  instrument to support integrated river basin
  management processes.

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Background Indicator use and developement III

• Participatory development of indicators in river
  basin management can increase the significance
  and effectiveness of indicators for the
  stakeholder involved
• The process of indicator development enables
  participants to recognize shared goals and
  visions, as well as the limitations of existing
  measures of well-being
• Moreover, it is this process that provides
  meaning and credibility to information in a way
  that ultimately influences action
• Development of indicators contribute
  significantly to an integrated approach of river
  basin management and social learning in river
  basin management.

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Background Participatory approaches

• By involving stakeholder in the management of
  water resources and the implementation of water
  policies, these policies will gain
• higher acceptance by the stakeholders
• higher legitimacy
• higher validity
• collaborative approach to develop indicator
  together with relevant stakeholder can increase
  the quality and effectiveness of the indicators
  because
• Incorporation of local knowledge
• Increasing acceptance
• Given actors a stake on the indicators

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Current state in the Mediterranean Institutional
setting forWater management

• Water User Associations are responsible for
  infrastructure and water distributions (mainly in
  agriculture)
• Water Management boards responsible for
  management approaches of water resources
• Water pricing on crop basis paying per crop not
  per volume water used for irrigation
• In terms of IWRM there is a lack of considering
  environmental issues although negative impacts
  are already visible, e.g. salination,
  euthrophication
• Common vision is often no water should be get
  lost in the sea

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Current state in the Mediterranean
Implementation of participation

• Participation formally implemented though WUA and
  Water Management Boards on catchment level
• Forms of participation range from consultation to
  active involvement
• WUA often do not have vital working structures
• Participation is restricted on water user not
  all relevant actors in catchments are involved
• However, often lack of trust in institutions
• Institutions are not foreseeing broader
  participation

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Current state in the Mediterranean Indicator
development, selection and use

• Indicators mainly used with regard to water
  supply volumes, e.g. water availability/capita/yea
  r
• Use of indicators for water use regarding water
  demand, socio-economic or environmental issues
  are mostly missing
• Indicators are not developed in a participatory
  approaches
• Lack of a common understanding about the benefits
  of monitoring and evaluating catchments
  collectively

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Conclusions I

• IWRM often not considered, but traditional supply
  based approach is still predominated
• Participation mainly though water users, lacking
  participation of other relevant stakeholder
• No real incentive to water saving strategies /
  policies
• Implementation of real participatory approaches
  is not easy
• Lack of trust in institutions
• Lack of interest to participate
• Institutional setting gives no incentive
• Lack of insitutions

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Conclusions II

• Indicator use is not implemented effectively
• Due to lack of an effective implementation of
  participation of stakeholders the participatory
  development of indicators is not an option
• IWRM is up to now basically science driven,
  therefore indicators are also still science
  driven
• Adaptation of institutional change is needed
• Still a collective action problem can be
  considered
• However there is a certain dynamic to change
  observable, e.g. Egypt

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Thank you for you attention!