Multidisciplinary approaches in River Basin Management an example

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Multi-disciplinary approaches in River Basin
Management - an example

• W. Lahmer
• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
  (PIK), Potsdam, Germany
• www.pik-potsdam.de/lahmer
• lahmer_at_pik-potsdam.de

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Introduction

• Concepts of Integrated Water Resources Management
  (IWRM)
• Application of the European Water Framework
  Directive (WFD) in the Havel river basin
• The role of information systems for decision
  support
• Design and implementation of a specific
  information system

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River Basin Management

• The regulation of rivers has reduced their
  natural dynamics and considerably altered the
  landscape of their basins
• The results of global change impact studies and
  the need for a general change in ecosystem
  management imply a more integrative and
  sustainable treatment of large river basins
• Multi- or interdisciplinary studies are necessary
  to assess alternative management options
  (one-dimensional approaches do not cover the
  complexity of all crucial aspects)

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RBM - General Aims

• Combining the knowledge from different scientific
  disciplines on environmental and socio-economic
  systems
• This integration process requires
• Concepts and models to describe the
  spatio-temporal interactions between all relevant
  processes
• Integration of different kinds of information
  quantitative information from sectoral physical
  systems, qualitative information from
  socio-economic systems
• Both types of information are combined in
  scenarios

• A suitable approach is Integrated Water Resources
  Management (IWRM) to stimulate
• discussions between scientists, policymakers and
  planners
• collaboration between scientific institutions,
  landscape and water system planners

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Water Framework Directive

• European Water Framework Directive (WFD)
  Important research program dealing with RBM
• Till 2015 all EU member states must achieve a
  good ecological status for natural rivers and a
  good ecological potential for heavily modified
  water bodies

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Study Region

• Havel basin situated in the Elbe basin
• Mean annual precipitation of about 600 mm
• Precipitation decrease of 10 in summer during
  the last decades
• Characterized by water scarcity and droughts
  (example summer 2003 drought)
• Water management represents a challenge

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The Situation

• The Havel river
• One of the most important lowland rivers in
  Germany
• Various natural and anthropogenic influences
• Strongly regulated
• Small slopes, complicated river network, large
  number of lakes, wetland areas, and water
  regulation systems
• Strong reductions of discharge and flow velocity
  in dry summer periods
• Basic problem Low water quality, which in many
  river sections ranges from critically polluted
  to strongly polluted

• The Havel basin
• Complex hydrological and ecological conditions,
  manifold requirements of land and water use
• Good candidate for interdisciplinary and
  integrative research

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The Havel Project
www.havelmanagement.de

• Interdisciplinary research project with
  representatives from scientific institutions,
  regional water authorities and private
  consultants
• 11 sub-projects
• High practical relevance

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Flight over the Havel (13th September 2002)
After the 2002 Elbe flood

• Huge economical and ecological losses
• Millions of fish died
• Additional motivation for integrated research
  approach

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Goals of the Project

• Implementation of the European Water Framework
  Directive (WFD)
• Development and analysis of alternative
  management options to improve water quality
• Development of appropriate methodologies, models,
  practical methods and suitable instruments to
  solve the actual water-related problems in the
  basin
• Enhancing the participatory approach (solve
  conflicts between different users, include
  economic and social feedbacks)
• Inclusion of all stakeholders in the derivation
  of management options

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Decision Making and Support

• Policy-makers and planners are often not able to
  decide between different proposals or scenarios
  and to take appropriate decisions

• The results from different scientific disciplines
  must be summarized in planning support and
  decision-making systems
• A basic part of the Havel project is the
  development of a Decision Support System (DSS)
• to evaluate alternative management options and
  their influence on water quantity and quality
• to improve regional spatial planning processes
• to enhance the links between research
  institutions and operational centres
• DSS stands at the interface of scientific
  research, practical application and policy
• Helps to answer the question, why certain
  management options are recommended and others are
  not.

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Goals of the DSS-Havel

• Information tool
• Learning tool
• Communication tool
• Management tool
• Usually, a DSS will not be able to perform all
  these tasks at the same time and/or with the same
  quality.

• Aims
• Integration and evaluation of all project results
• Interdisciplinary decision support
• Formulation of management options in management
  plans

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Elements of the DSS-Havel

• Criteria 
• Low-cost approach
• Running on a common PC
• Robust, fast
• Data base and GIS functionalities
• Open system architecture

• The concept is determined by the
• needs and demands of the end-user
• available research and financial capacity

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DSS-Havel Some features
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Questions to be answered

• Dominant sources of pollution ?
• Relevant management options for reduction ?
• Which river sections react especially sensitive
  to what management options ?
• How to improve the physical, chemical and
  biological state of the river ?
• How to ensure a sustainable use for different
  actors ?
• Which costs are expected for what water users
  applying concret management scenarios ?

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The world changes when many small people at many
small places do many small steps
African saying