STRATEGIESFOR FRESHWATER

CONTEXT FOR STRATEGIES

An example of four sizes of freshwater ecosystems

> 10000 km2 (large rivers)

0 – 100 km2 (headwaters and creeks)

100 – 1000 km2 (small rivers)

1000 – 10000 km2 (medium rivers)

CONTEXT FOR STRATEGIES

CONTEXT FOR STRATEGIES

CONTEXT FOR STRATEGIES

THREAT CATEGORIES

• Water Use and Management• Invasive Alien Species• Overharvesting and Fisheries

Management• Land Use and Management

• Water Quality (pollution / contamination)• Water Quantity (flow)• Habitat Destruction (dredging / channelization)• Predation / over competition (over-fishing and invasives)

Organized by specific human activities

Organized by impact to freshwater ecosystem

OR

SUB-THREAT CATEGORIES

• Water Use and Management– Dams

– Surface water diversions

– Altered bed & bank structure

– Groundwater overexploitation

• Invasive Alien Species

• Overharvesting and Fisheries Management

• Land Use and Management– Agriculture

– Urbanization & industrialization

– Forestry

– Mining

– Recreation

STRATEGIES BY TYPE WITHIN EACH THREAT/SUB-THREAT

• Technical strategies• Institutional and legal strategies• Community-based strategies

SCALE OF IMPLEMENTATION FOR STRATEGIES

• Local / site specific / river reach• Watershed / basin• National• Regional / bi-national• Multi-national / international

Example

Read the scenario in the notes

Strategy Approaches

What scale of implementation?• Local / site specific / river reach• Watershed / basin• National• Regional / bi-national• Multi-national / international

What kind of strategy?• Technical strategies• Institutional and legal strategies• Community-based strategies

OpportunitiesTechnical strategy:• Understand what stage the dam is in

(has it already been approved and financed, is it already under construction, etc.).

• Evaluate the potential impact of the operations of the dam on the downstream ecosystem (higher base flows, increased rate of change, elimination of flood pulses, etc.).

• Develop environmental flow recommendations with local community involvement as well as in-country scientists and water management experts.

Institutional / legal strategy:• Work with the agency that administers

licenses for the dam to require or advocate for environmental flow recommendations to be included within dam operation and work with them to establish a process for accomplishing this task.

Community-based strategy:• Learn about ecological/hydrological

connections through local community engagement.

• Work with the local indigenous community to equip it with the knowledge and scientific expertise necessary to oppose the dam.

• Advocate for the local communities needs to be met even with the dam.

What About Scale?

Regional energy planningAssess energy needs and

compare alternatives

Resource assessment and prioritization (including ecological

and social resources)

Integrated Basin Planning

Reg

iona

l Lev

el

Non-hydro generation needs

Conservation and efficiency options

Hydropowergenerationtarget

Water management

(water supply, flood control)

Designation of protected rivers

and basins

Project-level review, mitigation and development

Pro

ject

-leve

l

Source: TNC

Reminder

• No threat today does not mean no threat tomorrow – be careful of complacency.