| Notes from the Field | |
Webinar Review: Strengthening Water Resource Management through Cooperation and Multilateral Collaboration
On March 21, FRAMEweb members joined Christian Holmes of USAID, Joseph Cook from the University of Washington, and Paloma Chavez of Rare. The webinar discussed practical water cooperation on community, national, and international levels to strengthen water resource management for populations around the globe. With the presenters arriving from three distinct backgrounds and three geographic areas, we discussed the topic from a policy perspective, an economic perspective, and a field perspective.
To start, Christian Holmes set the stage for the webinar, introducing current issues important to the water sector and discussing the Agency's upcoming release of the Water & Development Strategy. According to Christian, the Agency's strategic approach will give priority to supporting the Presidential Initiatives of Global Health and Feed the Future and will also support other development objectives such as resilience, natural resource and coastal zone management, climate change efforts, humanitarian assistance, increasing access to education, and gender equality efforts. Among its aims, the strategy also emphasizes an integrated approach to development by programming resources selectively to ensure meaningful impact; leveraging science, technology, and innovation; promoting gender equality and female empowerment; and increasing partnerships with non-governmental and civil society organizations that undertake the critical front-line responsibility of developing and implementing water programs.
Next, Joseph Cook discussed cooperation from an economic perspective, sharing two very interesting case studies in the American Pacific Northwest and Kenya. The case study in the Yakima River Basin of the Pacific Northwest demonstrated how stakeholders approached a problem in which the needs of the local population had outgrown the supply of water, also having impacted the state of the ecosystem by affecting salmon migration and possibly exacerbating climate impacts including droughts. In trying to solve the problem, beneficiaries had conflicting interests. The environmentalists and native populations wanted fish passage around dams and on-farm conservation, and the farmers were concerned about water supply in bad years. Joseph delved into the process of cooperation stakeholders endeavored and the solution they came to by describing the Yakima Basin Management Plan. In the Kenyan example, Joseph went on to outline how the Water and Sanitation Program has been leveraging private sector finance for piped water supplies in rural developing areas -- a model that is also being used throughout other parts of Africa and Asia.
Finally, Paloma Chavez joined the webinar from Guadalajara, Mexio, sharing how Rare is using community-based methodologies to build cooperation around water. Rare uses creative means, including reciprocal water agreements, to help conservationists mobilize communities and promote conservation efforts. The organization trains local conservation leaders all over the world to change the way their communities relate to nature. In a method called the "Pride Campaign," the goal is to inspire people to take pride in the species and habitats that make their community unique, while also introducing practical alternatives to environmentally destructive practices. On World Water Day, Rare launched 10 new campaigns across Latin American countries.
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Discussion Spotlight
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Here are some of the issues FRAMEweb members are talking about:How can the water management measures and approaches be improved in African drylands? In order to address the ever increasing impacts of DLDD in African drylands, it is critical to take stock of what works (and what does not work), why and what conditions are required for the water management measures to be economically feasible, socio-culturally acceptable and environmentally sustainable. Please share your experiences, lessons learnt and insights regarding this issue widely with other ADDN members.
Are bole holes a good adaptation mechanism for ground water access for farming? I just attended an Institute for International Environmental Development (IIED) talk in Copenhagen regarding climate change, drought, agriculture and adaptation. The speaker from Zimbabwe mentioned a possible adaptation strategy for obtaining access to water being bore holes. Would this really work as an adaptation strategy? Click here to respond How have household adapted to food shortages and what roles have NRM investments played in preventing the impact of drought? I would like to invite participants of this forum to share their thoughts on the recent events in Niger. I have written a background document that I hope you have had the time to read. I hoped that we could begin the discussion by exploring the following two questions: 1) How have household adapted or responded to chronic shortfalls in food production? 2) What has been the role of NRM investments in preventing or reducing the impact of drought, food shortages and related crises? Click here to comment Do you have a question or comment you want to post on FRAMEweb? Sign-in, click on a Community Topic or Partner Page and click on the ask button or icon:  
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Take a Look
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Expand your knowledge on transboundary water issues with these helpful resources. 
Reaching Across The Waters
This study reviews the experience of cooperation in five international river
basins, focusing on the perceptions of risks and opportunities by decision makers in countries responding to a specific prospect of cooperation. For each basin, the analysis centered on "tipping points," or periods in time when policymakers in the countries involved were faced with a critical decision concerning water cooperation. The use of historical events helped avoid the risk that the analyses would impact current negotiations or controversies. River basins selected for the analysis were: Eastern Nile, Ganges, Niger, Syr Darya, and Zambezi.
Click here to see the World Bank publication
USAID Global Waters: International Year of Water Cooperation
In honor of World Water Day, USAID published their quarterly water-themed e-zing to share some of the collaborative work being done by USAID in marginalized communities around the world.
Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database (TFDD)
The Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database (TFDD) is a database intended for use in aiding the process of water conflict prevention and resolution.This database is a product of Oregon State University's Program in Water Conflict Management and Transformation (PWCMT) which is being designed to fill the niche as a broader, more integrative approach that explicitly integrates human, policy, and scientific dimensions of water resources within the framework of governance and sustainability, and focuses training and research on all facets of water conflict transformation. The PWCMT serves as a training, resource and information hub for students, citizens, officials, and business leaders in Oregon, across the United States and internationally, facilitating dialogue on critical water issues across diverse values and perspectives.
Water as a Casualty of Conflict: Threats to Business and Society in High-Risk Areas
While much research has been produced in recent years on how water
use and pollution can exacerbate conflict, a new report focuses more broadly on the ways conflict and high-risk situations can affect water systems and resources directly - as well as on the planning, construction, operation, and management of water systems. The UN Global Compact and the Pacific Institute released the report in advance of the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum. The report provides examples of impacts on business operations, as well as anecdotal highlights of what companies are doing in response. For example, a large food and beverage company in the Occupied Palestinian Territories worked with local residents and government in the surrounding community to establish an independent wastewater treatment plant that would provide a reliable source of water to its plant, the local community, and to farmers. Varied cases from Peru, Papua New Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria are included, as well.
International Water Law Project Website
The mission of the International Water Law Project (IWLP) is to serve as the premier resource on the Internet for international water law and policy issues. Its purpose is to educate and provide relevant resources to the public and to facilitate cooperation over the world's fresh water resources. As the subject evolves and develops, the IWLP vies to continue to update its pages and databases.
Click here to access the website.
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| New on FRAMEweb |
SCAPES Natural Resource Governance Tool now available!
A product of the SCAPES learning initative, this guide describes an approach and data collection tool that together constitute a relatively simple, low-cost, expert opinion-based, method for assessing governance strengths and weaknesses and changes in these over time. We invite you to review the methodology, apply it in your own project areas, and share your experiences with other users.
Click here to access the Governance Tool.
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Experts on FRAMEweb
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Find a colleague who shares an interest or expertise in water resource management and learn more about your network.
Log-in to FRAMEweb and click on the link below to find more than 100 experts on FRAMEweb related to water.
Water Experts
Note: you won't see the results until you are logged in!
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| Featured Member | 
FRAMEgram features a member in the newsletter who has been exceptionally active! This section will also give you a chance to learn more about other FRAMEweb members. This Edition's Featured Member is...
 Djomba Mara
I am the Policy Specialist for the Program in Environmental Governance in Guinea (PEGG). I have worked for over a decade in the humanitarian field with refugees, and now for four years with US Forest Services and USAID's STEWARD and PEGG programs. A jurist by training, I have implemented food security, biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihood, community forestry, and now environmental governance programs throughout Guinea and into Liberia and Ivory Coast. I have been using FRAMEweb.org for research and information sharing purposes since 2009 when I first joined the STEWARD program. Through FRAMEweb, we been able to develop a space for PEGG to share loads of information on environment-related legislation.
* Remember to see Djomba's profile, login at the prompt first. |
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