Rethinking water resources for biodiversity, ourselves, our world

Transcription

1 Innovative approaches to biodiversity conservation Rethinking water resources for biodiversity, ourselves, our world Richard Beilfuss International Crane Foundation

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13 Cranes and wetlands

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15 Environmental flows Environmental flows describe the quantity, timing, and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human livelihoods and well-being that depend on these ecosystems. (Brisbane Declaration 2005)

16 Ecosystem Services Ecosystem Services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems. These include: Provisioning services (food, water, fiber, fuel), Regulating services (floods, drought, disease, erosion) Supporting services (soil formation, nutrient cycling) Cultural services (recreational, spiritual, religious) (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2004)

17 Realizing environmental flows for the ecosystem services they sustain 1. What is the impact of water resources development on key ecosystem services that sustain biodiversity and human well-being? 2. Can adverse changes to these ecosystem services be ameliorated within operational and cultural realities? 3. How can we best engage communities and water authorities for innovative water management?

18 River-dependent Protected Area Network

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20 Hydropower dams Installed 3530 MW (mainstem) >5000 MW (basinwide) Potential > MW (basinwide)

21 Reservoir development Irrigated agriculture Sport & commercial fisheries Tourism/recreation Trophy hunting Crocodile farming

22 Downstream ecosystem services that sustain biodiversity

23 Downstream ecosystem services that sustain human well-being

24 Realizing environmental flows for the ecosystem services they sustain 1. What is the impact of water resources development on key ecosystem services that sustain biodiversity and human well-being? 2. Can adverse changes to these ecosystem services be ameliorated within operational and cultural realities? 3. How can we best engage communities and water authorities for innovative water management?

25 Flood-dependent agriculture Mistimed floods damage riverbank cropping; increase drought vulnerability Reduced area for flood recession crops linked to >30% productivity decline Salinity intrusion most significant threat to sugar production Economic valuation of annual floods for agriculture suggests $US millions/annum

26 Freshwater fisheries Reduction in freshwater fisheries directly related to reduced flooded area and duration and mistimed flooding regime 30,000-50,000 tonnes per annum under natural flooding regime Highly responsive to large flooding events (2001, 2008) Tweddle 2006

27 Catch rate (kg h -1 ) Prawn fisheries Life-cycle depends on wet season flood pulse and dry season low flows Strong correlation between Zambezi annual runoff pattern and fishery catch rate Lost economic value $US10-20 million per annum 120 Observed Modelled Year Gammeslrod 1992; Hoguane 2002

28 Grazing lands Reduced extent and quality of end-of-dry season grazing lands for cattle Among limiting factors in postwar livestock recovery Lost economic value $US tens of thousands

29 Water supply >5 m water table decline on delta floodplain due to diminished recharge Increasing dependence on Zambezi River to meet domestic water requirements crocodiles, waterborne disease Guveya & Sukume (2008) estimated annual value of water - $US 9 million during normal/flood years and US$14 million during drought years.

30 Wildlife hunting and ecotourism 90% population reduction during civil war--reduced annual flooding enabled year-round poaching operations now recovering Loss of carrying capacity related to drying/increased fire Trophy hunting value in $US hundreds of thousands per annum could be recovered

31 Vulnerable Wattled Cranes ~90% population emmigration Reduction in main food source (Eleocharis rush tubers) and increased nest vulnerability to fire Substantial floodplain breeding grounds could be recovered Bento et al. 2007

32 Cultural values Ceremonial Recreational Aesthetic Spiritual

33 Realizing environmental flows for the ecosystem services they sustain 1. What is the impact of water resources development on key ecosystem services that sustain biodiversity and human well-being? 2. Can adverse changes to these ecosystem services be ameliorated within operational and cultural realities? 3. How can we best engage communities and water authorities for innovative water management?

34 Is there water available for environmental flows given constraints for hydropower production? YES Modeling indicates a range of environmental flow scenarios are possible depending on desired magnitude, duration, and timing of releases Some beneficial scenarios realized through reallocation of waters with no reduction in hydropower generation With modest reductions in hydropower, many target flow patterns could be realized downstream

35 Are there significant trade-offs among downstream water requirements? NO range of water users show consistent need for improved flows in the delta Commercial and small-scale agriculture, estuarine and coastal fisheries, freshwater fisheries, livestock, large mammals, vegetation communities, natural resource availability, water supply and quality, waterbirds, public health, and settlement patterns 35

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37 Building legitimacy and trust with communities Confident that communities would benefit substantially from environmental flows---if they trusted and adapted their production systems and lifestyles to a new water regime

38 Realizing environmental flows for the ecosystem services they sustain 1. What is the impact of water resources development on key ecosystem services that sustain biodiversity and human well-being? 2. Can adverse changes to these ecosystem services be ameliorated within operational and cultural realities? 3. How can we best engage communities and water authorities for innovative water management?

39 Work through existing institutions at all levels (from traditional authorities to national government) and provide regular feedback on project activities

40 Disseminate background information early and throughout the process to promote a shared understanding of environmental flows, ecosystem services, and the links to their well-being

41 Understand community perspectives on resources issues that affect their lives, and assist other stakeholders and decision-makers to understand perspectives and livelihood needs of local communities;

42 Ensure equitable community inclusion and involvement in decision making forums at all levels, especially with respect to age, gender, and income level;

43 Build community capacity to interact and to speak on behalf of their interests and engage with other stakeholders by expanding their knowledge, helping them to understand the views and perspectives of others, and exposing them to best practices elsewhere

44 Ensure that information generated is accessible to everyone, in easy-to-use formats and styles

45 Promote and maintain communication and dialogue across the system, both vertically (e.g., villager to traditional authority to regional/district authority to national government) and horizontally (e.g., communities to communities, government agencies to government agencies)

46 Building legitimacy and trust with water authorities Demand-driven process of engagement based on: Understanding their management needs (ex. flood forecasting) Increasing management capacity for implementation Normalizing concepts and shared responsibility

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