Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water ... · Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment/RIZA and UN ECE International Water Assessment Centre

Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste WaterTreatment/RIZA

and

UN ECE International Water Assessment Centre IWAC

Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management

Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management

Monitoring to tailormade information

Wim Cofino

Sustainable development ‘a policy mission statement’

Sustainable development is the achievement ofcontinued economic and social development

without detriment to the environment andnatural resources.

The quality of future human activity anddevelopment is increasingly seen as being

dependent on maintaining this balance.

The interdependence of policies

Economic policiessocially and

environmentally feasible

Environmental policiessocially and

economically feasible

Social policieseconomically and

environmentally feasible

Which role can/should monitoring play in the respective policies?

Natural Capital

Social CapitalHuman Capital

Human made (‘Economic’Capital

Sustainability Mission

Objectives

Critical Success factors

Information

Indicators

Evaluation

Integrated Assessments

Environmental functions mayserve as vehicle to define capitals

BiodiversityAssimilation of wastesFisheriesRecreationEmissionsShipping traffic…….

Human capital

Indicator 1

Indicator 3

Indicator 2

Social capital

Economic capitalNatural capital

RIZA

Timing and focussing of information to needs

Physiological needs

Safety & security needs

Social needs

Esteem needs

Self-actualization

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

RIZA

Timing and focussing information to needs

Physiological needs

Safety & security needs

Social needs

Esteem needs

Self-actualization

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

• Meeting basic needs• Securing the food supply • Managing risks

information needs:• Quantitative and qualitative

status of resources• Exploitation of resources• Allocation issues•Degree to which needs are met

RIZA

Timing and focussing ofinformation to needs

Physiological needs

Safety & security needs

Social needs

Esteem needs

Self-actualization

Economic and social development

information needs coupled to the economic services and goodsprovided by water bodies:• (Environmental) functions

• Quantitative and qualitative aspects of water uses

• Impacts on water systems• Conflicts between functions

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

RIZA

Timing and focussing ofinformation to needs

Physiological needs

Safety & security needs

Social needs

Esteem needs

Self-actualization

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Sustainable development• Protecting ecosystems• Sharing water

Attention to cultural values of water,..

information needs:• Quantitative and qualitative

status ecosystems• valuing water• how do people perceive water

and water issues?

Governing w

ater wisely

Implications (I)• Policies for sustainable development require a

multidisciplinary approach

• Integral approaches , covering the entire process from objectives, implementation, information gathering to assessments need to be designed

• Environmental monitoring provides one of the classes ofinformation requiredIntegrated assessment requires integrated information

• Technical and institutional frameworks for these integrated approaches need to be established

Implications(II)• Sustainable solutions call for intensive co-operation

between policy-makers and scientists in amultidisciplinary and where relevant transboundarysetting– solving one pollution problem may cause another– joint effort instead of blaming– co-operation leads to a better utilization of

knowledge and information– co-operation enhances support and

understanding of solutions

RIZA

Implications (III)• Information management for Integral Water

Resources Management requires institutional arrangements:– Data frequently scattered over multitude of

institutes– Central co-ordination of information management

is necessary, e.g.• Cost effective monitoring programs• Co-operation and arrangements with other

institutes regarding provision and exchange of data and information on e.g. water uses

The multidisciplinary approach• There is a need for translation across disciplines

– example: ‘compliance monitoring’!

• Naive expectations between different disciplines

• Scale mismatches

• There is no substitute for regular contact– The multidisciplinary approach requires us to

change our present-day organisations.

Source: Monitoring Tailormade III

RIZA

Implications (IV)• The world is not perfect

– Institutional arrangements for integrated assessments

frequently not in place

– The degree of interaction between scientists involved in

monitoring and policy makers less than desireable

– Trade offs are made, but in complex settings

• Scientists involved in monitoring need to – Have a feeling for timing which information is needed

– Put an extra effort into the relationships with policy makers

– Ensure that all stakeholders are informed

– Be pro-active!

RIZA

Monitoring and the public• Informing the public is important:

– Sustainable management of water requires choices to be made

– Public needs to be aware of the necessity of the choices

• Provision of information required to– increase acceptance of water polices and

management– Give account of achievements

Example: aquatic plants in Lake Veluwe

The D,P,S,I,R indicators - an effective tool for management?• Driving forces

• Pressures

• State

• Impacts

• Response

The realm of monitoring

• may improve the communication across disciplines & countries;

• may assist in informing the public;• may improve the communication between scientists and policy

makers and thus enhance the utilization of monitoring data• need to be drawn up in an intensive interaction between

Transboundary monitoring/information

• Transnational co-operation require a shared, integratedview on the water system, e.g. on ecological gradients (is more than agreements over classification systems!)

• Transnational agreement on indicators and connections between causes and effects

• Common definitions and measurement methodologies for all types of indicators

• How to communicate with the public & to incorporate their views in indicators, e.g. perception

Transboundary monitoring/information (II)

• Diversity is the key word– nature, economy, social system, cultures,

individuals

• We have to cope with diversity

• Can we use diversity as a driving force, improving our ability and creativity to achieve our goalsregarding sustainable development?

Transboundary monitoring/information(III)

• We have to respect differences and try to understand their roots

• We cannot blindly copy indicators, managementstrategies, standards, … between regions in Europe

• We have to exchange information, practices andexperiences as part of a joint learning process

RIZA

Conclusions• Modern watermanagement requires a large knowledge base,

data/information on the chemical, physical and ecological state ofour aquatic being just one component

• Monitoring needs to be embedded in a strategic ‘holistic’ approach

• In addition to monitoring, institutional arrangements regarding data provision and exchange is necessary (e.g. water uses)

• More interaction between policy-makers and scientists and (multidisciplinary) co-operation among scientists is needed

• More effort towards general public is needed

• Creativity owing to diversity instead of coping strategies

The UN-ECE International WaterAssessment Centre IWAC• IWAC is a network, the office at RIZA facilitates this

network

• ‘Promote co-operation’, efforts to bring together– scientists from different countries (river basins)– scientists of different disciplines– scientists and policy makers

• Contribute to exchange of experiences, practices, views,..

• Assist by e.g. training courses, expert visits,..