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The international transfer of environmental flow methods

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Presentation on theme: "The international transfer of environmental flow methods"— Presentation transcript:

1 The international transfer of environmental flow methods
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 The international transfer of environmental flow methods Christopher Gippel Australia

2 Elements of knowledge transfer
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Elements of knowledge transfer The nature of the knowledge being transferred How the knowledge is being transferred

3 Two ways to transfer knowledge
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Two ways to transfer knowledge Read publications Direct personal interaction Let’s begin with the way international experts might be received

4 Personal transfer of knowledge
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Personal transfer of knowledge Lecture method - teacher-centred Expected method Easily controlled Relatively effortless One-way transfer Passive experience for learners High expectations on the teacher Expected method in China. Entire education system based on this approach. Anecdote about 3 hour lecture. Some go all day. But there is works because the audience is very attentive.

5 Personal transfer of knowledge
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Personal transfer of knowledge Alternative methods Flipped classroom Study content prior to class / “homework” done in-class learner-centred Discussion groups Field exercises Embedded expert Consultant just does the job, leaving a report Difficult to make this work in China. But fieldwork can be successful. Anecdote about measuring flow in Lao PDR, with hydropower release.

6 Elements of knowledge transfer
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Elements of knowledge transfer The nature of the knowledge being transferred How the knowledge is being transferred

7 The knowledge being transferred
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 The knowledge being transferred What the expert knows well Perhaps personal interest What the expert’s employer wants Promotion Future work What the expert truly believes is best What the host asked for Knowledge developed collaboratively between expert-host

8 The knowledge I possess
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 The knowledge I possess Qualifications and experience Hydrology, geomorphology, geography First environmental flows job 1990 30+ assessments Lao PDR, China, Pakistan, Peru Varied applications Rivers big and small Wetlands Lakes Estuaries River regulation: Undeveloped / over-allocated Competing uses: irrigation / recreation / hydropower Cultural flows

9 Methods Known for a paper on wetted perimeter (1998)
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Methods Known for a paper on wetted perimeter (1998) Developed a hydrological method (Flow Health) Committed to holistic approach Values cover whole ecosystem Values include livelihoods of river dependent communities Whole range of disciplines Whole flow regime Tailored to the site

10 Key barrier to transferring holistic method
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Key barrier to transferring holistic method The hydrological method Entrenched Suits developing countries Needs only flow data Cheap and easy to apply Has been widely used to justify very low environmental flow allocations

11 A popular hydrology method
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 A popular hydrology method The Tennant method

12 934 citations in Google Scholar
USD 25.00 Who has read the original?

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17 Holistic approach checklist
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Holistic approach checklist Organise a team Decide the assets that are going to be protected At what level of health or functioning Characterise the assets past, current, future Model relationships between flow and condition of values Propose a range of flow options Modelled impacts on other users

18 Tennant Method was holistic!
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Tennant Method was holistic! It’s been corrupted

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20 I don’t want to say anymore about Tennant Method

21 Natural flow components
Devising hydrological indicators Natural flow components

22 Reference is natural flow
Lijin, Yellow River 9 Metrics Great Leap Forward Reference is natural flow Regulation Step climate change E-flow Dry periods

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24 Environmental flows and Flow Health
Flow Health score = 1 Flow Health score = 0.5

25 Some of my experiences in China, Lao PDR, Pakistan and Peru
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Some of my experiences in China, Lao PDR, Pakistan and Peru

26 China Pearl River (Lijiang) 2011 www.watercentre.org/research/rhef
Yellow River (Lower Huanghe) 2010 Liao River (Taizihe) 2010 Taizhou (Jiaojiang) 2007 Huaihe River

27 Rio Ocoña, Peru

28 Indus River, ds Kotri Barrage Pakistan

29 Lao PDR, hydropower development

30 Experiences transferring holistic approach
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Experiences transferring holistic approach Organise a team Decide the assets that are going to be protected At what level of health or functioning Characterise the assets past, current, future Model relationships between flow and condition of values Propose a range of flow options Modelled impacts on other users

31 Organise a team

32 Organise a team In Australia My experience elsewhere
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Organise a team In Australia Prescribed multidisciplinary team membership My experience elsewhere Engineers usually do the work Inter-disciplinary work not common Hard to find ecologists in the setting Geomorphology little studied Often done by university or research institute: Students do the work, sometimes 1 person assigned Expect a rapid result Expect a publication

33 Holistic approach Organise a team
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Holistic approach Organise a team Decide the assets that are going to be protected At what level of health or functioning Characterise the assets past, current, future Model relationships between flow and condition of values Propose a range of flow options Modelled impacts on other users

34 Decide the assets that are going to be protected at what level
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Decide the assets that are going to be protected at what level In Australia Ecological values pre-determined to some extent Ramsar listed, so focus on wetlands Threatened species Act Biodiversity Act Cultural values – under development Social scientists do participatory research My experience elsewhere Difficult to convince hosts that this is largely a social process with no right or wrong answer Common misbelief that an environmental flow will maintain a river in pristine health Project gets bogged down at this stage

35 Holistic approach Organise a team
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Holistic approach Organise a team Decide the assets that are going to be protected At what level of health or functioning Characterise the assets past, current, future Model relationships between flow and condition of values Propose a range of flow options Modelled impacts on other users

36 Characterise the assets
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Characterise the assets In Australia Daily modelled and gauged river flow data available Ecological databases and survey data available Method prescribes a minimum level of field assessment My experience elsewhere Hydrology data can very difficult to acquire Hydrology data often has contradictory datasets River flow not often modelled for ‘natural’ Biological data hard to find Reluctance to go to the field to do survey work if no ecologists on the team

37 Holistic approach Organise a team
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Holistic approach Organise a team Decide the assets that are going to be protected At what level of health or functioning Characterise the assets past, current, future Model relationships between flow and condition of values Propose a range of flow options Modelled impacts on other users

38 Model relationships between flow and condition of values
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Model relationships between flow and condition of values In Australia Flow-ecology relationships often available Active research in this area Subtle complexities appreciated My experience elsewhere Generally poorly known Can borrow international research Generally viewed as deterministic relationships (no uncertainty) Excellent capacity for modelling Just needs directing

39 Criterion Adult Juvenile Spawning Depth (m) >1.5 1.0 – 2.0 0.3 – 2.0 Velocity (m/s) 0.1 – 0.8 0.1 – 0.6 <0.3 Season All year April to June

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41 Holistic approach Organise a team
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Holistic approach Organise a team Decide the assets that are going to be protected At what level of health or functioning Characterise the assets past, current, future Model relationships between flow and condition of values Propose a range of flow options Modelled impacts on other users

42 Propose a range of flow options
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Propose a range of flow options In Australia Not widespread practice Legacy of holistic methods that produce just a single flow regime recommendation Fear of lowest option being selected My experience elsewhere Similar

43 Risk associated with achieving river health relative to how much of the natural flow regime is retained (e.g. proportion of natural annual or monthly flow, relative frequency of flow pulses)

44 Effective implementation
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Effective implementation Assessments often done in isolation Attractive for NGOs to fund and ‘get a result’ to promote the cause Done as part of EIA on an individual dam Way forward Conduct Environmental Flows assessments within a Basin, Regional or National Management Plan Establish the expected future condition of rivers Livelihoods they support Ecosystems they support Cultural practices they support

45 Conclusion – Are e-flow methods transferable internationally?
TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI | 12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Conclusion – Are e-flow methods transferable internationally? Things to work on: Diverse team membership Equality between social, ecological, physical science and engineering disciplines Fundamental work on local flow-ecology relationships Make data freely available Acceptance that the process of e-flow assessment is social – informed by science Acceptance that e-flows will not maintain a pristine river condition Policy work to establish future desired river conditions E-flows assessments coordinated within a regional or basin planning framework

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