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United Nations University,
International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)

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Water and Ecosystems

 
UNU-INWEH - UNESCO International Workshop

Water and Ecosystems:
Water Resources Management in Diverse Ecosystems and Providing for Human Needs
 UNU-INWEH, Hamilton, Canada
14-16 June 2005

Background
Freshwater resources available to the inhabitants of diverse ecosystems vary considerably and so do the basic water needs according to the level of development of the societies of the respective areas. As poverty and under-development have been identified as fundamental developmental challenges, the UN, in its Millennium Declaration and at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), called on the world to make explicit, time-bound commitments to face critical freshwater issues related to development and social equity.

To date, a systematic and integrated review of the human, technological, managerial and institutional skills needed to improve water management, particularly in developing countries has not been done, but is needed. Therefore, in this workshop, the first session will deal with concepts and frameworks of water management in selected ecosystems and its implications in covering human needs. Then, a variety of selected case studies will be examined in order to strengthen the scientific discussion and knowledge base on this topic. Emphasis will be given to those case studies involving World Heritage Sites, Ramsar Sites, Biosphere Reserves or similarly managed areas.

Workshop Objectives
The purpose of the meeting is to open a discussion on conceptual models for water management in ecosystems and to present case studies on hydrological and ecological resources in different ecosystems and their impact on human beings. More specifically, the objectives of the workshop are:

Discuss current understanding of water related processes in various ecosystems and their relationship to developmental issues;

Focus on integrated assessment of water resources, ecosystems, human well-being and ecosystem services;

Present case studies comprising national or regional-scale evaluations to better understand their needs and challenges;

Draw conclusions and formulate recommendations on further conceptual development of integrated and comparative approaches in water sciences and management in different ecosystems, particularly considering society’s water demands.

Develop interregional partnerships and collaborative initiatives, focusing on assessment and best practices from different regions of the world.

Suggest specific actions in specific areas, which are managed under integrated conservation and development schemes, such as World Heritage Sites, Ramsar Sites Biosphere Reserves or similarly managed areas.
 

Workshop Publication
Water and Ecosystems - Managing Water in Diverse Ecosystems
Edited by Caroline King with Jennifer Ramkissoon, Miguel Clusener-Godt, and Zafar Adeel

Introduction  (2.6MB)

Section I - Approaches  (2.9MB)

Section II - Case Studies (1-4)  (4.9MB)

Section II - Case Studies (5-8)  (2.2MB)

Section III - Conclusions  (0.3MB)

 

 

 

 

Workshop Report
click here for a PDF file (130 kb)

Workshop Program
click here

List of Workshop Participants
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Workshop Format
The workshop is an output-oriented initiative meant to discuss models and frameworks and to present concrete case studies in order to generate recommendations for a specific view on water resources and its related ecosystems in well-determined sites as pilot activities as well as to suggest measures to improve the living conditions in the respective regions. It will comprise the following elements:

Keynote presentations on sustainable use of water resources in well defined ecosystems;

Keynote presentations, highlighting the settings in some selected regions of the world;

Presentations of case studies with national and regional views and needs;

Interactive discussion sessions to develop output to meet workshop’s objectives; and

Brainstorming sessions to develop a concrete course of action for future activities.