The paper comments on the development of an international movement towards both sustainability and subsidiarity in the management of large river basins, and also stresses the significance of river basins for their sense of place and symbolism as environmental territory. Two contrasting efforts are compared, in the developed world (European Community) through the Freshwater Europe Campaign, and in the developing world through the lead‐in to the Earth Summit. Finally, suggestions are made that the best manifesto for the problem of water and development is an ecosystems approach to the river basin, modified by a greater use of approaches from social science and objectives of social justice. 相似文献
Sustainable development and solutions to existing environmental problems depend heavily on information and its translation into usable knowledge. Increasingly, affected communities are being drawn into environmental decision‐making, both in the development of strategy (plans) and in the delivery of plans through management and operations. Variants of the ‘natural capital’ theme are popular amongst those who see an effective dialogue between the sciences of ecology and economics as the most promising interdisciplinary context for environmental decision making by empowered communities. A decision‐making framework is vital in practical, community‐based schemes (wider than ‘stakeholder platforms’) which have become popular for promoting ‘best practice’ in managing river basin units. The EU Water Framework Directive renders use of interdisciplinary techniques within a participatory framework a statutory requirement. A final practical need for communities and professionals involved with such schemes is the creation of a system of adaptive (rather than reactive) management, supported by ongoing research and monitoring to detect, and adjust to, ever‐changing physical and social contexts for both strategies and operations.
This paper describes the authors' experience in applying the ‘Environmental Capital’ (also known as ‘Quality of Life Capital’ (QoLC)) approach to information management in two headwater catchments in northern England: the Wharfe and the Coquet. In the case of the Upper Wharfedale Best Practice Project (UWBPP) the components of basic environmental survey, consultation, strategy formulation and the use of the strategy are illustrated to guide immediate and longer‐term actions. In contrast, the Coquet application of the technique, whilst socially more pervasive, was less successful for a number of reasons: geographical, institutional, project and participatory.
As a proposed development of the methodology based on the authors' experiences, extending public participation through monitoring activity, together with formal application of environmental economics to the perceived elements of ‘natural’ and ‘human’ capital in the two catchments would appear desirable. Conclusions are also drawn regarding the demands of the EU Water Framework Directive for ecological, economic and participatory approaches to river basin planning and management. 相似文献
Whilst river catchments are axiomatic units to hydrological science, their use as administrative boundaries, even within the water function, is highly dependent upon socio‐political considerations. In moves to accomplish sustainable development, with its emphasis on proactive community procedures, the catchment/basin unit is, however, receiving detailed attention—notably in England/Wales and in Canada. This paper catalogues the patterns and processes of catchment planning on both sides of the Atlantic via case studies in Ontario and southern England (Thames). Conclusions are that scale, tradition (of consultation) and information about land‐use effects on river behaviour are important controls on the rates and styles of implementation. 相似文献
Climate services entail providing timely and tailored climate information to end-users in order to facilitate and improve decision-making processes. Climate services are instrumental in socio-economic development and benefit substantially from interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly when including Early Career Researchers (ECRs). This commentary critically discusses deliberations from an interdisciplinary workshop involving ECRs from the United Kingdom and South Africa in 2017, to discuss issues in climate adaptation and climate services development in water resources, food security and agriculture. Outcomes from the discussions revolved around key issues somewhat marginalized within the broader climate service discourse. This commentary discusses what constitutes “effective” communication, framings (user framings, mental models, narratives, co-production) and ethical dimensions in developing climate services that can best serve end-users. It also reflects on how ECRs can help tackle these important thematic areas and advance the discourse on climate services. 相似文献