Water Ethics for People and Ecosystems

David Groenfeldt, Director Water-Culture Institute 14 March, 2012 dgroenfeldt@waterculture.org

Why Worry about Water Ethics?

Cultural and individual values motivate water behavior;

Values/ethics constitute an important (but usually neglected) dimension of water governance;

Current management of water ecosystems is unsustainable;

Values can and do change;

We can improve water governance through managing values.

An Alternative to “Payment for Ecosystem Services”

“Payment” is a management toolLet’s call it “management” instead of “payment”

“Ecosystem services” are defined through a lens of cultural values (ethics)

Which services are given priority? (a cultural and ethical judgment)

Integrate the management of ecosystem services with the management of other benefit categories (social, cultural)

Let’s call these benefits “ethical services”

“Management for Ethical Services” = MES

What Ethics? Where are they?

1. Choices about how ecosystems are managedRivers, lakes, wetlands

Aquifers

2. Decisions about how water is usedAgriculture

Urban / domestic

Industrial

3. Priorities in how water is governedParticipation

Equity

How water is governed

(Participation, equity, etc)

1. Ethical Choices in Ecosystem Management

Physical Manipulation Channel straightening (Rhine, Rio Grande)

Levees (“Room for Rivers”)

Dams and reservoirs (Mekong)

Impacts to Flow Regime / QuantityEnvironmental Flow concepts (Santa Fe River; TNC Water

Funds)

Impacts to Water Quality (Territ’Eau)

Water quality standards

Principle of “Polluter pays”

2. Ethics of Water Use

Agriculture (agro-system services)Culture heritage (Agricultural Heritage sites; EU Ag Policy)Social welfare (Large-scale farming – Malaysia Grainary

Policy)Environmental sustainability (Finger millet in India)

Urban / Domestic Water conservation / reuse [Project WET]Access

>Human right to water & sanitation (WASH programs)

Industrial / ExtractiveReducing use and impacts (Water Footprinting)Community stewardship (Corporate Social Responsibility)

Cross-sectoral allocation (IWRM)

3. Ethics of Water Governance

IrrigationFarmer/community participation (PIM – INWEPF)

Water Supply and SanitationHuman right to water/sanitation (Butterfly Effect)

Local vs centralized systems (Eau Vive – Mali)

Watersheds and River BasinsRiver Basin Approaches (WFD, Wladir River Commission)

Community Watershed Groups (Jal Bhagirathi Foundation)

Conclusion: Using Water Ethics to Promote Sustainability

Uncover the ethics motivating existing policies and practices;

Help agencies / organizations / communities discover the values underlying their water behavior

Develop methodologies for doing this (“ethics analysis”)

Incorporate ethical principles into the process of consensus building around water management options

Deciding on alternative project / policy strategies

Dispute resolution (including transboundry negotiations)

Make sure key ethical views (e.g., Indigenous Peoples) are included

Build on Environmental ConceptsFrom Environmental Flows to cultural, social, and economic

flows

From PES MES

New Job Descriptions…

Environmental groupsLook for synergies with economic, social, and cultural

values

Policy-makersConsider total “ethical” value of water flows

ResearchersCase studies and better methodologies for analyzing ethics

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