Robert Speed

A pathway to healthy rivers: lessons for and from Asia

International WaterCentre, Australia

Background

• River health and environmental flow in China project, WET project

• WWF-GIWP master basin planning project• Regional workshops to share experiences

Context

• Rapid economic development• Declining river health• Unprecedented pressures on river systems• Emerging policies and plans to improve river

health

• But, different:– Rivers– Demands and challenges– Social and economic situations– Political and legal systems– Tools, methods, approaches

So, what have we learnt about improving river health through better river basin management?

And – how can we apply this knowledge in different rivers and different countries?

Foundation principles

• To maintain and improve river health we need to:– Recognise the value of healthy rivers – Be clear what it is that we want from our rivers – Understand how our rivers function– Put in place systems and institutions to protect

and restore

Strategic planningIdentify assets and values; goals and objectives

Policy measures• Water allocation/e-flows• Pollution control• Catchment management

River scienceUnderstand river condition and processes

Institutions

Strategic (basin) planning1. Understand how the system operates: hydrological,

physical, ecological, social, economic and institutional2. Plan and act, even without full knowledge3. Establish vision, priorities, objectives4. Focus on implementation throughout5. Engage stakeholders to strengthen institutional

relationships6. Enable adaption to changing circumstances7. Address issues at the appropriate scale

Policy measures: water allocation and environmental flows

1. Environmental water needs should provide the foundation for water allocation decisions

2. Align water allocation, social and economic planning3. Level of complexity of the plan/approach should reflect

the complexity in the basin 4. Allow flexibility to deal with changing circumstances5. Ensure a clear mechanism for dealing with climatic

variability6. Exercise caution in granting water entitlements7. Establish robust mechanisms for implementing e-flows

River science: assessing river health + environmental flows

1. Set clear goals and objectives 2. Select appropriate indicators 3. Classify rivers 4. Test the indicators 5. Set appropriate benchmarks and threshold values6. Report on the results 7. Implement the monitoring program to inform

management

Institutions

1. Clear mandates, powers and responsibilities2. Recognise capacity constraints

Thank-you