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Managing Hydrological Resources: An International PerspectiveStefano BarchiesiProject Officer, IUCN Global Water Programme

WMO/UNISDR Expert Group Meeting on Hydrological Drought IndicesWMO Headquarters, Geneva – 1-2 September 2011

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• An Exercise to Assess Research Needs and Policy Choices in Areas of Drought

• A Support Action to assist in the development of a European Drought Policy in accordance with the EU-Water Framework Directive

• A Consortium of 11 partners: – FEEM, Wageningen University, Water Management

Center (Germany), Oslo University, Italy and Spain’s Ministries for the Environment, NERC (UK), National Technical University of Athens, EC Joint Research Centre, CEMAGREF (France), IUCN

The Xerochore Project

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• WP3: State of the art review of the environmental impacts of droughts and of research actions taken to mitigate and to adapt to the effects of drought

– Ecosystem vulnerability & resilience to drought

– Strategies for reducing ecological and related socio-economic vulnerabilities to drought

– Emerging issues from round table discussions

Our Focus and Task

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• Definition of environmental variables that can enhance understanding of:

– how the effects of drought are influenced by ecosystem structure such as species composition

– how drought alters key ecological functions for the preservation of water quality and habitat integrity

– what flow conditions are required for reducing ecosystem sensitivity to drought

Our Main Output

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• Embedded in 5 Science Policy Briefs:

1.Characterisation of water bodies and of the analysis of pressures and impacts

2.Monitoring of surface water and ground water status and of protected areas

3.Recovery of costs for water services4.Implementing a programme of measures5.River basin management plans

Recommendations

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• Towards an indicator system with the Water Scarcity and Drought Expert Group, EU-WFD Common Implementation Strategy

Follow-up Activities

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• Scientific knowledge of the impacts of drought was largely documented at the time (2008-2010)

• However, it was never put together in one place to link the vulnerability of ecosystems with the vulnerability of human systems such as cities

• Indicators are not sufficiently developed to address different conditions across Europe (hydroclimatic, ecosystem services, catchment structure and management) and different drought phases

Our Findings

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• River basin planning that includes ecological flow assessments as a monitoring requirement for both drought characterisation and mitigation

• Recognition of natural infrastructure and the services provided by ecosystems to society

• Restoration of degraded ecosystems such as forests, grasslands and wetlands

• Managing freshwater ecosystems for drought events and improved public use supplies

• Raising awareness of the risks across sectors

Priority Areas for Action

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• Drought responses tend to focus on agriculture and urban water needs

• There’s a number of indirect impacts that are still not well understood, especially on ecosystems

• The consequences of drought on ecosystems can have implications for water resource management at the river basin level

Our Conclusions

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http://www.feem-project.net/xerochore/

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