Your search found 12 records
1 King, J. M.; Tharme, R. E.; de Villiers, M. S. (Eds.) 2000. Environmental flow assessment for rivers: Manual for the building block methodology. Cape Town, South Africa: University of Cape Town. Zoology Department. Freshwater Research Unit. xxii, 339p. (WRC report no.TT 131/00)
Rivers ; Environment ; Assessment ; Flow ; Hydrology ; Ecology ; Ecosystems ; Hydraulics ; Water law ; Simulation models ; Geomorphology ; Catchment areas ; Water quality ; Data collection ; Training ; Groundwater ; Water resource management ; Planning ; Dams ; Operations / South Africa
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: 551.483 G178 KIN Record No: H028307)
2 Tharme, R. E.. 2003. A global perspective on environmental flow assessment: emerging trends in the development and application of environmental flow methodologies for rivers. River Research and Applications, 19(5-6):397-441. Special issue: Environment Flows for River Systems. Selected papers from the Joint Meeting on Environmental Flows for River Systems and 4th International Ecohydraulics Symposium, Cape Town, March 2002. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.736]
(Location: IWMI-HQ Call no: IWMI 574.5 G000 THA Record No: H033563)
Recognition of the escalating hydrological alteration of rivers on a global scale and resultant environmental degradation, has led to the establishment of the science of environmental flow assessment whereby the quantity and quality of water required for ecosystem conservation and resource protection are determined.
A global review of the present status of environmental flow methodologies revealed the existence of some 207 individual methodologies, recorded for 44 countries within six world regions. These could be differentiated into hydrological, hydraulic rating, habitat simulation and holistic methodologies, with a further two categories representing combination-type and other approaches.
Although historically, the United States has been at the forefront of the development and application of methodologies for prescribing environmental flows, using 37% of the global pool of techniques, parallel initiatives in other parts of the world have increasingly provided the impetus for significant advances in the field.
Application of methodologies is typically at two or more levels. (1) Reconnaissance-level initiatives relying on hydrological methodologies are the largest group (30% of the global total), applied in all world regions. Commonly, a modified Tennant method or arbitrary low flow indices is adopted, but efforts to enhance the ecological relevance and transferability of techniques across different regions and river types are underway. (2) At more comprehensive scales of assessment, two avenues of application of methodologies exist. In developed countries of the northern hemisphere, particularly, the instream flow incremental methodology (IFIM) or other similarly structured approaches are used. As a group, these methodologies are the second most widely applied worldwide, with emphasis on complex, hydrodynamic habitat modelling. The establishment of holistic methodologies as 8% of the global total within a decade, marks an alternative route by which environmental flow assessment has advanced. Such methodologies, several of which are scenario-based, address the flow requirements of the entire riverine ecosystem, based on explicit links between changes in flow regime and the consequences for the biophysical environment. Recent advancements include the consideration of ecosystem-dependent livelihoods and a benchmarking process suitable for evaluating alternative water resource developments at basin scale, in relatively poorly known systems. Although centred in Australia and South Africa, holistic methodologies have stimulated considerable interest elsewhere. They may be especially appropriate in developing world regions, where environmental flow research is in its infancy and water allocations for ecosystems must, for the time being at least, be based on scant data, best professional judgement and risk assessment.
A global review of the present status of environmental flow methodologies revealed the existence of some 207 individual methodologies, recorded for 44 countries within six world regions. These could be differentiated into hydrological, hydraulic rating, habitat simulation and holistic methodologies, with a further two categories representing combination-type and other approaches.
Although historically, the United States has been at the forefront of the development and application of methodologies for prescribing environmental flows, using 37% of the global pool of techniques, parallel initiatives in other parts of the world have increasingly provided the impetus for significant advances in the field.
Application of methodologies is typically at two or more levels. (1) Reconnaissance-level initiatives relying on hydrological methodologies are the largest group (30% of the global total), applied in all world regions. Commonly, a modified Tennant method or arbitrary low flow indices is adopted, but efforts to enhance the ecological relevance and transferability of techniques across different regions and river types are underway. (2) At more comprehensive scales of assessment, two avenues of application of methodologies exist. In developed countries of the northern hemisphere, particularly, the instream flow incremental methodology (IFIM) or other similarly structured approaches are used. As a group, these methodologies are the second most widely applied worldwide, with emphasis on complex, hydrodynamic habitat modelling. The establishment of holistic methodologies as 8% of the global total within a decade, marks an alternative route by which environmental flow assessment has advanced. Such methodologies, several of which are scenario-based, address the flow requirements of the entire riverine ecosystem, based on explicit links between changes in flow regime and the consequences for the biophysical environment. Recent advancements include the consideration of ecosystem-dependent livelihoods and a benchmarking process suitable for evaluating alternative water resource developments at basin scale, in relatively poorly known systems. Although centred in Australia and South Africa, holistic methodologies have stimulated considerable interest elsewhere. They may be especially appropriate in developing world regions, where environmental flow research is in its infancy and water allocations for ecosystems must, for the time being at least, be based on scant data, best professional judgement and risk assessment.
3 King, J. M.; Tharme, R. E.; de Villiers, M. S. (Eds.) 2008. Environmental flow assessments for rivers: manual for the building block methodology. Updated edition. Gezina, South Africa: Water Research Commission. 339p. (WRC Report No. TT 354/08)
Environmental flows ; Assessment ; Meteorology ; Water resources ; Water law ; Rivers ; Ecology ; Hydrology ; Fluid mechanics ; Geomorphology ; Water quality ; Vegetation ; Aquatic animals ; Invertebrates ; Fish ; Groundwater ; Habitats ; Surveys ; Data analysis / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G178 KIN Record No: H044214)
http://www.wrc.org.za/Knowledge%20Hub%20Documents/Research%20Reports/TT%20354-CONSERVATION.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044214.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044214.pdf
(3.56 MB) (3.56MB)
4 Pert, P. L.; Boelee, Eline; Jarvis, D. I.; Coates, D.; Bindraban, P.; Barron, J.; Tharme, R. E.; Herrero, M. 2013. Challenges to agroecosystem management. In Boelee, Eline. (Ed.). Managing water and agroecosystems for food security. Wallingford, UK: CABI. pp.42-52. (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series 10)
Agroecosystems ; Food security ; Economic value ; Fisheries ; Livestock ; Land degradation ; Erosion ; Agricultural systems ; Agricultural production
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046122)
(186 KB)
5 Fleiner, R.; Grace, D.; Pert, P. L.; Bindraban, P.; Tharme, R. E.; Boelee, Eline; Lloyd, G.; Korsgaard, L.; Eriyagama, Nishadi; Molden, D. 2013. Water use in agroecosystems. In Boelee, Eline. (Ed.). Managing water and agroecosystems for food security. Wallingford, UK: CABI. pp.53-67. (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series 10)
Agroecosystems ; Water availability ; Water use ; Agricultural production ; Health hazards ; Waterborne diseases ; Environmental flows ; Poverty
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046123)
(137 KB)
6 Lloyd, G. J.; Korsgaard, L.; Tharme, R. E.; Boelee, Eline; Clement, Floriane; Barron, J.; Eriyagama, Nishadi. 2013. Water management for ecosystem health and food production. In Boelee, Eline. (Ed.). Managing water and agroecosystems for food security. Wallingford, UK: CABI. pp.142-155. (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series 10)
Water management ; Water resources ; Water use efficiency ; Water demand ; Water allocation ; Water security ; Agroecosystems ; Food production ; Environmental flows
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046128)
(227 KB)
7 Boelee, Eline; Scherr, S. J.; Pert, P. L.; Barron, J.; Finlayson, M.; Descheemaeker, K.; Milder, J. C.; Fleiner, R.; Nguyen-Khoa, S.; Barchiesi, S.; Bunting, S. W.; Tharme, R. E.; Khaka, E.; Coates, D.; Solowey, E. M.; Lloyd, G. J.; Molden, D.; Cook, Simon. 2013. Management of water and agroecosystems in landscapes for sustainable food security. In Boelee, Eline. (Ed.). Managing water and agroecosystems for food security. Wallingford, UK: CABI. pp.156-170. (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series 10)
Water management ; Water productivity ; Agroecosystems ; Landscape ; Food security ; Institutions ; Research priorities
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046129)
(133 KB)
8 Barron, J.; Tharme, R. E.; Herrero, M. 2013. Drivers and challenges for food security. In Boelee, Eline. (Ed.). Managing water and agroecosystems for food security. Wallingford, UK: CABI. pp.7-28. (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series 10)
Food security ; Hunger ; Natural resources ; Ecosystems ; Biodiversity ; Livestock ; Investment ; Climate change
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046120)
(510 KB)
9 Finlayson, M.; Bunting, S. W.; Beveridge, M.; Tharme, R. E.; Nguyen-Khoa, S. 2013. Wetlands. In Boelee, Eline. (Ed.). Managing water and agroecosystems for food security. Wallingford, UK: CABI. pp.82-103. (Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture Series 10)
Wetlands ; Assessment ; Agroecosystems ; Food security ; Water security ; Aquaculture ; Fisheries ; Water productivity ; Water storage ; Rice ; Irrigation systems
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H046125)
(180 KB)
10 Anderson, E. P.; Jackson, S.; Tharme, R. E.; Douglas, M.; Flotemersch, J. E.; Zwarteveen, M.; Lokgariwar, C.; Montoya, M.; Wali, A.; Tipa, G. T.; Jardine, T. D.; Olden, J. D.; Cheng, L.; Conallin, J.; Cosens, B.; Dickens, Chris; Garrick, D.; Groenfeldt, D.; Kabogo, J.; Roux, D. J.; Ruhi, A.; Arthington, A. H. 2019. Understanding rivers and their social relations: a critical step to advance environmental water management. WIREs Water, 6(6):1-21. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1381]
Rivers ; Environmental flows ; Water management ; Human relations ; Social conditions ; Freshwater ; Water allocation ; Water governance ; Indigenous peoples ; Living standards ; Cultural values ; Ecological factors ; Ecosystems ; Declarations ; Case studies / Honduras / India / Canada / New Zealand / Australia / Patuca River / Ganga River / Athabasca River / Murray-Darling Basin / Kakaunui River / Orari River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049329)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wat2.1381
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049329.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049329.pdf
(3.57 MB) (3.57 MB)
River flows connect people, places, and other forms of life, inspiring and sustaining diverse cultural beliefs, values, and ways of life. The concept of environmental flows provides a framework for improving understanding of relationships between river flows and people, and for supporting those that are mutually beneficial. Nevertheless, most approaches to determining environmental flows remain grounded in the biophysical sciences. The newly revised Brisbane Declaration and Global Action Agenda on Environmental Flows (2018) represents a new phase in environmental flow science and an opportunity to better consider the co-constitution of river flows, ecosystems, and society, and to more explicitly incorporate these relationships into river management. We synthesize understanding of relationships between people and rivers as conceived under the renewed definition of environmental flows. We present case studies from Honduras, India, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia that illustrate multidisciplinary, collaborative efforts where recognizing and meeting diverse flow needs of human populations was central to establishing environmental flow recommendations. We also review a small body of literature to highlight examples of the diversity and interdependencies of human-flow relationships—such as the linkages between river flow and human well-being, spiritual needs, cultural identity, and sense of place—that are typically overlooked when environmental flows are assessed and negotiated. Finally, we call for scientists and water managers to recognize the diversity of ways of knowing, relating to, and utilizing rivers, and to place this recognition at the center of future environmental flow assessments.
11 Arthington, A. H.; Tickner, D.; McClain, M. E.; Acreman, M. C.; Anderson, E. P.; Babu, S.; Dickens, Chris W. S.; Horne, A. C.; Kaushal, N.; Monk, W. A.; O’Brien, G. C.; Olden, J. D.; Opperman, J. J.; Owusu, Afua G.; Poff, N. L.; Richter, B. D.; Salinas-Rodríguez, S. A.; Shamboko Mbale, B.; Tharme, R. E.; Yarnell, S. M. 2023. Accelerating environmental flow implementation to bend the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss. Environmental Reviews, 27p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2022-0126]
Environmental flows ; Freshwater ; Biodiversity ; Ecosystem services ; Resilience ; Rivers ; Water availability ; Water users ; Stakeholders ; Climate change ; Constraints ; Legislation ; Regulations ; Monitoring ; Funding ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Ecological factors ; Infrastructure ; Human resources ; Capacity development ; Training ; Case studies / USA / Guatemala / Mexico / Canada / UK / South Africa / Zambia / India / China / Australia / Putah Creek Tributary / Usumacinta River / Peace-Athabasca Delta / Savannah River / Roanoke River / Great Brak River Estuary / Olifants River / Luangwa River / Nile River Basin / Ramganga River / Yangtze River / Lower Goulburn River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052092)
(1.91 MB) (1.91 MB)
Environmental flows (e-flows) aim to mitigate the threat of altered hydrological regimes in river systems and connected waterbodies and are an important component of integrated strategies to address multiple threats to freshwater biodiversity. Expanding and accelerating implementation of e-flows can support river conservation and help to restore the biodiversity and resilience of hydrologically altered and water-stressed rivers and connected freshwater ecosystems. While there have been significant developments in e-flow science, assessment, and societal acceptance, implementation of e-flows within water resource management has been slower than required and geographically uneven. This review explores critical factors that enable successful e-flow implementation and biodiversity outcomes in particular, drawing on 13 case studies and the literature. It presents e-flow implementation as an adaptive management cycle enabled by 10 factors: legislation and governance, financial and human resourcing, stakeholder engagement and co-production of knowledge, collaborative monitoring of ecological and social-economic outcomes, capacity training and research, exploration of trade-offs among water users, removing or retrofitting water infrastructure to facilitate e-flows and connectivity, and adaptation to climate change. Recognising that there may be barriers and limitations to the full and effective enablement of each factor, the authors have identified corresponding options and generalizable recommendations for actions to overcome prominent constraints, drawing on the case studies and wider literature. The urgency of addressing flow-related freshwater biodiversity loss demands collaborative networks to train and empower a new generation of e-flow practitioners equipped with the latest tools and insights to lead adaptive environmental water management globally. Mainstreaming e-flows within conservation planning, integrated water resource management, river restoration strategies, and adaptations to climate change is imperative. The policy drivers and associated funding commitments of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework offer crucial opportunities to achieve the human benefits contributed by e-flows as nature-based solutions, such as flood risk management, floodplain fisheries restoration, and increased river resilience to climate change.
12 Messager, M. L; Dickens, Chris W. S.; Eriyagama, Nishadi; Tharme, R. E.. 2024. Limited comparability of global and local estimates of environmental flow requirements to sustain river ecosystems. Environmental Research Letters, 19(2):024012. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad1cb5]
Environmental flows ; Water resources ; Water management ; Hydrological modelling ; Freshwater ecosystems ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Water scarcity
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052567)
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ad1cb5/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052567.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052567.pdf
(4.46 MB) (4.46 MB)
Environmental flows (e-flows) are a central element of sustainable water resource management to mitigate the detrimental impacts of hydrological alteration on freshwater ecosystems and their benefits to people. Many nations strive to protect e-flows through policy, and thousands of local-scale e-flows assessments have been conducted globally, leveraging data and knowledge to quantify how much water must be provided to river ecosystems, and when, to keep them healthy. However, e-flows assessments and implementation are geographically uneven and cover a small fraction of rivers worldwide. This hinders globally consistent target-setting, monitoring and evaluation for international agreements to curb water scarcity and biodiversity loss. Therefore, dozens of models have been developed over the past two decades to estimate the e-flows requirements of rivers seamlessly across basins and administrative boundaries at a global scale. There has been little effort, however, to benchmark these models against locally derived e-flows estimates, which may limit confidence in the relevance of global estimates. The aim of this study was to assess whether current global methods reflect e-flows estimates used on the ground, by comparing global and local estimates for 1194 sites across 25 countries. We found that while global approaches broadly approximate the bulk volume of water that should be precautionarily provided to sustain aquatic ecosystems at the scale of large basins or countries, they explain a remarkably negligible 0%–1% of the global variability in locally derived estimates of the percentage of river flow that must be protected at a given site. Even when comparing assessments for individual countries, thus controlling for differences in local assessment methods among jurisdictions, global e-flows estimates only marginally compared (R 2 0.31) to local estimates. Such a disconnect between global and local assessments of e-flows requirements limits the credibility of global estimates and associated targets for water use. To accelerate the global implementation of e-flows requires further concerted effort to compile and draw from the thousands of existing local e-flows assessments worldwide for developing a new generation of global models and bridging the gap from local to global scales.
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