Science-Based IWRM Implementation in a Data-Scarce Central Asian Region: Experiences from a Research and Development Project in the Kharaa River Basin, Mongolia

Abstract

Abstract:Mongolia is not only a water-scarce but also a data-scarce country with regard to environmental information. At the same time, regional effects of global climate change, major land use changes, a booming mining sector, and growing cities with insufficient and decaying water and wastewater infrastructures result in an increasingly unsustainable exploitation and contamination of ground and surface water resources putting at risk both aquatic ecosystems and human health. For the mesoscale (≈15,000 km 2 ) model region of the Kharaa River Basin (KRB), we investigated (1) the current state of aquatic ecosystems, water availability and quality; (2) past and expected future trends in these fields and OPEN ACCESSWater 2015, 7 3487 their drivers; (3) water governance structures and their recent reforms; and (4) technical and non-technical interventions as potential components of an integrated water resources management (IWRM). By now, the KRB is recognized as one of the most intensively studied river basins of the country, and considered a model region for science-based water resources management by the Mongolian government which recently adopted the IWRM concept in its National Water Program. Based on the scientific results and practical experiences from a six-year project in the KRB, the potentials and limitations of IWRM implementation under the conditions of data-scarcity are discussed.

Seasonal home range shifts of the Siberian taimen (Hucho taimenPallas 1773): Evidence from passive acoustic telemetry in the Onon River and Balj tributary (Amur River basin, Mongolia)

“…Kaus et al International Review of Hydrobiology 2016, 101, 147-159 within their home range is valuable for authorities to help evaluate both spatial and temporal management strategies, particularly as river networks in north and central Asia are becoming progressively polluted and fragmented, and the impacts of climate change on continental river systems (e.g. In this taimen biotelemetry study, the first to be conducted on an Amur River basin population, a substantial data set was obtained and seasonal home range sizes and individual behaviour patterns within and between the Onon River and a major tributary were identified, thus helping to fill an important knowledge gap for regional conservation of this endangered species and river basin management in data-scarce Mongolia (Karthe et al, 2015b). In this taimen biotelemetry study, the first to be conducted on an Amur River basin population, a substantial data set was obtained and seasonal home range sizes and individual behaviour patterns within and between the Onon River and a major tributary were identified, thus helping to fill an important knowledge gap for regional conservation of this endangered species and river basin management in data-scarce Mongolia (Karthe et al, 2015b).…”

Regional patterns of heavy metal exposure and contamination in the fish fauna of the Kharaa River basin (Mongolia)

“…A meaningful set-up with regard to spatial sampling strategies, analytical methods and potential biological indicator species may be derived from the results of the current study. In a broader context, the data presented here has filled an important knowledge gap for integrative water resource management planning, which in the case of the KRB has typically been impeded by poor data availability (Karthe et al 2015b). For the first time in the KRB or anywhere in Mongolia, it has been shown that heavy metal emissions related to gold mining activities are not only theoretical risks, but that accumulation from the environment into consumed fish species is evident and has reached concerning levels in the worst affected regions e.g.…”

Water in Central Asia: an integrated assessment for science-based management

“…Today, key challenges for the implementation of the IWRM and nexus concepts include (a) outdated infrastructures in the water, irrigation/food production and energy sectors, (b) transboundary disputes, (c) data scarcity, (d) capacity deficits in various parts of the water sector and (e) inefficient governance structures. While the complexity of water problems is already challenging in the world's most developed countries, in Central Asia the latter three aspects are additional obstacles for water management planners (Dombrowsky et al 2014;Ibisch et al 2016b;Karthe et al 2015b;Kirschke et al 2017).…”

“…On the implementation side, a specific focus has been on holistic concepts such as Integrated Water Resources Management and the food-waterenergy nexus (Guillaume et al 2015;Ibisch et al 2016a;Jalilov et al 2015;Karthe et al 2015b), which lie at the core of most national water management strategies of the region. Advances in water management increasingly require a sound scientific basis, which over the past decade was covered not only by several books and thematic issues in international journals, but also by the emergence of a specific journal focusing on water management in the Central Asian region (Table 1).…”