IUCN Recommendations
on Fresh Water
For the Preparatory
Committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development - 3rd
Preparatory Meeting (25 March-5 April)
Ecosystems play
an important role in the water cycle and provide goods and services
that are of vital importance as the basis of livelihoods, especially
of the poorest communities. The aim of policies and management
should be to maintain or, where degraded, restore those functions.
IUCN welcomes the recognition of these principles in the Chairman's
Summary of the 2nd Preparatory Meeting and the attention to measures
of governance, finance and capacity building to protect the resource
base and ensure the equitable and efficient use of water resources.
Action to improve
freshwater management needs to build upon the achievements of
the 2nd World Water Forum (The Hague), the International Conference
on Freshwater (Bonn), the report of the World Commission on Dams
(2000), and the many regional, national and local initiatives
that are already underway at present. IUCN will actively engage
in the WSSD process to support the delivery of a concerted action
plan with clear commitments and targets to the 3rd World Water
Forum, to be held in 2003, the International Year of Freshwater.
IUCN also supports the Water Resources Chapter of the Johannesburg
Plan of Action proposed by the South African Government.
IUCN wishes to
recommend the following:
· Watershed
management strategies are essential for the sustainable use of
water resources. They need to include specific objectives for
the preservation of freshwater ecosystems and restoration of
degraded ones. Watershed management strategies should be part
of national and regional Water Frameworks, such as the ones recently
developed in Southern Africa and in the European Union. Water
Frameworks will provide the principles and overarching strategic
goals and approaches to be used for sustainable water management
in the 21st century. Demand management approaches should feature
prominently in these strategies. Mobilisation of public and private
financial resources for the implementation of watershed management
action plans should be strongly promoted.
· The
protection of upstream habitats (especially forests), river riparian
zones, river stretches, wetlands, floodplains and estuarine ecosystems
should feature prominently in watershed management strategies
by 2007, in order to ensure adequate water supplies, avoid pollution,
maintain important fisheries and avert destructive flooding,.
Environmental flows, the amount of water to be left in the rivers
to maintain downstream ecosystems, are needed to sustain the
natural resource base of livelihoods, strengthen flood management
and restore critical habitats. The maintenance of environmental
flows for downstream ecosystem services, especially beneficial
to the poor, should be given legal status in all countries by
2007.
· Improved
watershed management requires new forms of governance and information
sharing. Water and energy infrastructure should benefit the
poorest in society. Management must be based on the principles
of good governance - openness, participation and accountability
- to ensure that decisions taken are based on a fair, open and
equitable review of all options. By 2007 stakeholder participation
and the right of access to information should be implemented
in all countries. Analysis based on multiple decision criteria
should be used rather than single user analysis to substantiate
decisions about trade-offs between competitive uses.
· Monitoring
and assessment programmes, based on social, economic and ecological
knowledge and indicators, should be implemented by 2007 and linked
to databases and mapping efforts. The explicit goal of such programmes
is to improve water resources management practices and facilitate
multi-stakeholder decision-making processes. The communication
of information to stakeholders and the facilitation of access
to these information sources are important prerequisites.
· Examination
and testing of decision-making frameworks such as that designed
by the World Commission on Dams and the European Water Framework
should become a priority for all river basin authorities and
countries by 2007 to mitigate all adverse impacts of dams on
upstream and downstream populations and ecosystems.
Means of implementation
IUCN calls upon
governments and other relevant stakeholders to join in:
· National
dialogues on the relevance and implementation of the recommendations
of the World Commission on Dams are organised in at least 30
Least Developed Countries to prepare platforms for national action
programmes.
· By 2007
National Water Frameworks to be prepared in at least 30 Least
Developed Countries and for co-ordination mechanisms to be set
up in no less than 30% of the national (sub) watersheds. These
mechanisms allow appropriate representation from civil society,
and have the proper legal authority to carry out watershed planning
and management.
· Capacity-building
programmes on knowledge and skills required for integrated water
resources management, including institutional learning, participatory
methods, resource utilisation, economics and negotiation, to
be implemented by 2007.
· Effective
research and data collection programmes on environmental, social
and economic indicators related to water resources should be
operational in all major river basins by 2007.
· Incentive
schemes and legal instruments with regard to water resources
management to be reviewed, adjusted and integrated to drastically
reduce the overexploitation of water resources in all countries
before 2012.
· Habitats,
critical for the maintenance of healthy ecosystem functions and
the livelihoods of the poorest communities, are protected before
2007 through the establishment of environmental flows and financial
measures, including financial transfers for resource protection
between downstream and upstream users, based on economic valuation
of these functions.
Partnerships
Several partnerships
have an important role to play in the implementation:
· Partners
for Water and Nature is a partnership of over 80 organisations
that work together on the implementation of the Water and Nature
Initiative. This partnership brings together governments, NGOs,
technical institutes, international organisations and companies.
Their collaborative effort focuses on mainstreaming the ecosystem
approach into water resources management planning and practices
to improve the livelihoods of the poor and maintain healthy ecosystems.
In around 10 demonstration sites, worldwide, the approach will
be demonstrated. These projects will be supported by capacity
building, strategic analysis and the development of new tools
for improved water management.
· The
Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment has been initiated by
a consortium of international organisations (IUCN, FAO, IWMI,
WWC, ICID, GWP, WHO, UNEP, IFAP, WWF). It will specifically examine
the possible conflict on water use between agricultural production
and environmental protection. It will further stimulate and contribute
to regional and national discussions for improved water resources
management. Similarly, the Dialogue on Water and Climate Change
brings together scientists, governments and civil society to
seek measures to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate
change.
· The
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) will be an important
renewal of commitment to sustainable development in Africa.
NEPAD includes a framework for regional co-operation on water
resources, ecosystem (including wetlands) restoration, sustainable
agricultural production and biodiversity conservation. As such,
NEPAD is a key initiative for achieving improved water resources
management for social, economic and environmental security in
Africa.
Contacts:
Mr. Elroy Bos - Elroy.Bos@iucn.org |