Murray-Darling basin

Murray-Darling challenges Covers 14 percent of Australia’s area; contains > 40% of farms, produces $10 billion worth of crops and livestock annually. Nearly 2 million people live in basin; another 1.25 million depend on basin for public supply – Murray-Darling Basin Agreement (NSW, Victoria, S. Australia) provides integrated management of water, related land resources. Goals: – Reduce salinity levels caused by irrigation. – Employ comprehensive watershed restoration approach to manage drought, control runoff, regulate in-stream flow, avert flooding. – Regulate uses, cap diversions, allocate water to control/dilute pollution.

Collaboration and adaptation Most significant innovation is MDBA’s sustainable management program: – Environmental resource assessment process evaluates institutional factors adversely affecting water problems. – Employs frequently updated environmental monitoring. – Community advisory effort mandates local, state, federal officials to work with stakeholders in developing “integrated” plans. Successes: – In-stream flow has improved. – Endangered fish species recovering. – Elevated public attention to impacts of diversion and salinity. Floodplain management remains contentious because some of the choicest agricultural lands in the basin are subject to floods.

Practical adaptation – thinking globally, acting locally – International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (1990): Comprised of 1070 local governments worldwide. – Water program focuses on promoting local practices for managing water resources in a sustainable manner. Goals? Develop bottom-up practical policies: demonstrate strategies locally. Disseminate experiences to other cities and sub-national regions. Provide means of co-producing climate knowledge by bringing scientists, policymakers, NGOs together. ICLEI’s East Asian sustainability training center established in Kaohsiung – 4/2012.

KNOWLEDGE CO-PRODUCTION USA – RISAs Brazil – Ceara state Africa – Nile basin

NOAA supports university-based teams across U.S. to analyze how climate change impacts key sectors within a region. Teams comprised of federal, state, local government agencies within a region – as well as NGOs. Research questions are posed by users who ask: how can climate information help with resource management and planning? Topics of investigation include: agriculture, wild-land fire, drought planning, fisheries, public health, energy use, coastal restoration. NOAA supports university-based teams across U.S. to analyze how climate change impacts key sectors within a region. Teams comprised of federal, state, local government agencies within a region – as well as NGOs. Research questions are posed by users who ask: how can climate information help with resource management and planning? Topics of investigation include: agriculture, wild-land fire, drought planning, fisheries, public health, energy use, coastal restoration. USA – Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Do they co-produce knowledge? RISAs do promote interaction between scientists and policy-makers/NGOs. Have succeeded in packaging & communicating information in useable form. Have been less effective in integrating social science knowledge of climate impacts and responses. Evaluations suggest need for sustained funding, leadership, more frequent discussion to promote research priorities.

Brazil – water reform in Ceara state 1990s – Interdisciplinary group within state water agency was established to institute legal reforms in response to drought, competing water claims – and foster collaboration between scientists, local farmers. Developed participatory management councils in river basins (Lower Jaguaribe- Banabmuiú River), negotiated water allocation agreements among users.

Does it co-produce knowledge? – In departure from traditional top-down decision-making, técnicos (staff scientists) work with farmers to: Combine local knowledge of drought/flooding with expert weather predictions. Help farmers, local governments better manage reservoirs, flood, drought. Results? – More participatory approach to river basin management. – Farmers are more willing to share risks of drought, avoid depleting local supplies. – State agency permits locals to monitor and manage water; local users more trusting of state-level information.

Nile River basin – sharing science for policy Lake Nasser/Aswan high dam – looking downstream

Impediments to knowledge co-production Since 1998 – 10 countries (Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, Congo) negotiating Nile Basin Initiative. Unable to establish a compact to equitably re-allocate basin to benefit upstream countries (with fastest-growing populations). Why? – Up- and downstream states have competing interests, limited capacity for basin wide adaptive responses. – Egypt and Sudan (countries with largest populations) refuse to relinquish power to upstream countries over withdrawals. – Ethiopia is fiercely opposed to continuing this practice and is building hydroelectric projects without Egypt’s permission, creating additional friction. MEANWHILE: Lake Victoria, a major source of the Nile, is falling 2.5 meters every three years – likely due to climate change.

Is knowledge co- production occurring ?  Support is growing for management of problems particular to sub-basins.  Strong support for improvements to irrigation, groundwater management, rural electrification.  Local communities, NGOs, Initiative scientists working together to design solutions, identify funding sources, share information.

Conclusions Climate change will force adapting to alternations in freshwater – basins, cities well-suited for adaptation with international efforts to share experiences (e.g., ICLEI & selected cities). Adaptation requires better communication between scientists and end-users – thus, reform of water institutions to facilitate dialogue among them (e.g., Brazil, Nigeria, Australia). Impediments to adaptation include approaches which predicate that scientists generate data without consulting users or incorporating local knowledge (e.g., Nigeria, US-RISAs). Adaptive management –emphasizing social learning, incremental and reversible remedies (if they fail) – may overcome these obstacles (e.g., Australia, Bangladesh, Nile Basin). Sound knowledge/effective collaboration go together – experts must reach-out to local water users and embrace cultural, social, ethical concerns: we can all learn from one another’s experiences.