The Global Environmental Flows Network Discussion Series – Flows for the environment and human well-being? IUCN Pavilion, Foyer 2, Sütlüce Congress and Cultural Center, Istanbul, Turkey

Event Summary and Conclusions

The discussion series provided a forum for dialogue on how flows for the environment are the key to promoting long-term sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

Day 1 – Linking flows, ecosystems and well-being: an introduction
Tuesday, March 17th 2009, 15:00-16:00

Water scarcity is a reality in many parts of the world causing huge social, environmental and economic challenges. The Global Environmental Flows Network (eFlowNet) has produced a paper that explores how goods and services sustained by environmental flows play a central role in supporting human well-being, and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The environment has been recognised as high priority for water allocations in different countries, but associated policies are often fragmented or not enforced. In particular, ecosystems services appear to be neglected in water legislation. Therefore, it is essential to connect the value of these services to policy tools targeting human well-being. One way to tackle environmental services in policy can be through market-based instruments.

Day 2 – Water resources management and policy [presentation]
Wednesday, March 18th 2009, 15:00-16:00

Preventing conflict between policies is the main driver for harmonizing water institutions. The challenge is to first get a better understanding of watersheds as complex institutional systems, including transboundary contexts. In addition, the lack of solid decision-support data is perceived as a key barrier alongside policy goals that are focused on protecting ecosystems with no account for the services they provide. The comparative advantages of international frameworks such as the UN Watercourse Convention, bilateral agreements and national water acts were examined. Different approaches should be taken between developing and developed countries. This is especially relevant where investment in environmental conservation is perceived as an additional burden alongside current pressures for development.

Day 3 – The risks and opportunities of climate change [presentation]
Thursday, March 19th 2009, 15:00-16:00

A major constraint for incorporating climate change scenarios into environmental flows assessments is the lack of good data. Predictions of climate change at the appropriate scale are highly complex and uncertain. At the same time, adaptation strategies such as increasing water storage capacity are expected to produce large impacts on environmental flows requirements. Timescale was found to be crucial in determining the type of risks and opportunities related to climate change and environmental water allocations. There is a great need to continue raising awareness and support training to build capacity for resilience to climate change. Adaptation not only depends on ecosystems’ potential but also the institutional context in a river basin.

Day 4 – The economics of securing environmental flows [presentation]
Friday, March 20th 2009, 12:00-13:00

Valuation methods are important tools to assign values to ecosystem services. It is difficult to translate these outcomes into policy because valuations have a certain degree of uncertainty. There is however no excuse for inaction as a minimum set of information is preferable than no estimates at all. Some mechanisms such as EIAs are supposed to account for environmental costs. Work on replacement cost methods and trade-offs needs to happen to ensure that the burden does not fall on the poor. Government subsidies, mitigation funding and private compensation from sequestration are among the financing mechanisms available. IWRM and adaptive management are other important components within the toolkit. One of the next steps is to ensure political will to uptake the results of valuation studies into policy decisions. In addition, there should be active sharing of research data from valuations.

Day 5 – Conclusions and ways forward
Saturday, March 21th 2009, 15:00-16:00 

Given the state of knowledge, progress and uncertainty, among the key areas of interest around environmental flows and human well-being are:

1.      The risks and opportunities of environmental water allocations, climate change and the institutional setting of a river basin depend on time and spatial scales;

2.      Economic valuations of ecosystem services provide important information for evidence-based policy that focuses around environmental flows and poverty alleviation;

3.      The comparative advantages of international, regional and national legal frameworks help design policies that are tailored to implementing environmental flows in the local context.