Integration of the biophysical and social sciences using an indicator approach: Addressing water problems at different scales

Abstract

To be operationally sustainable, any system of environmental management needs to be based on a truly holistic assessment of all of the relevant factors influencing it. This is of course a daunting task, demanding as it does detailed and reliable data, not only from both the physical and social sciences, but also incorporating some representation of that part of knowledge which could be described as non-scientific. This could be said to include the uncertainties of market forces and political will, as well as traditional knowledge systems, and artistic representation. Recognising the limitations of our own knowledge system is important if we are to make progress in the achievement of sustainability. The development of less deterministic models is a step forward in that direction.This paper provides some discussion on the challenges associated with the integration of data from different disciplines, and the application of that data at different scales. Alternative approaches to the assessment of water resources for policy making are highlighted, and the validity of using such assessments at different scales is discussed. Using the Water Poverty Index as illustration, examples are provided of how an integrated assessment framework can be used to provide consistency and transparency in decision-making, and how this can, in practice, be applied at a variety of scales.

Impact of Population Growth and Climate Change on the Freshwater Resources of Lamu Island, Kenya

“…Pietersen [29] corroborates Morris et al [30] argument that the conventional approaches to groundwater management in developing countries need to be reassessed, as most of them presume the existence of institutional, legal and technical preliminaries that are simply not in place. Management policies and practices should be aimed at improving the human-water relationships through harmonization of the equilibrium between humans and natural water resources by recognizing the urgent need for the reversal of this negative human impact through political action at both the national and local levels [31]. Water development and management should also be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy makers at all levels [27].…”

Finding key vulnerable areas by a climate change vulnerability assessment

“…In addition, the vulnerability indices were normalized considering the vulnerability values of Noorbakhsh 1998). Numerous methods use climate exposure (CE), sensitivity (S), and adaptation capacity (AC) to assess vulnerability, which may differ according to the scale of analysis, property of field, and availability of data (Turner et al 2003;Sullivan and Meigh 2007). This study used Eqs.…”

From Water Poverty to Water Prosperity—A More Participatory Approach to Studying Local Water Resources Management

“…It has been applied at various scales: national (Lawrence et al 2002;Komnenic et al 2009;Cho et al 2010), river basin (Pérez-Foguet and Giné Garriga 2008;Manandhar et al 2012;Pandey et al 2012), regional/district/sub-district (Heidecke 2006;Manandhar et al 2012) and local (Sullivan et al 2003;Cullis and O'Regan 2004;Giné Garriga and Pérez-Foguet 2011;Sullivan and Meigh, 2007;Manandhar et al 2012). …”