Hydro-Social Issues in the FIRMA Project - Stakeholder Engagement and Policy Analysis

1. Hydro-social Issues in the FIRMA project Thomas E. Downing Environmental Change Institute University of Oxford

2. Objectives • Introduce broad themes in water policy that are relevant to the FIRMA project • Demonstrate various means of participatory learning • Coalesce on standard terms and definitions for the project

3. Agenda • Background material • EU water directive • Glossary • Literature • Introduction to hydro-social issues • Agenda setting for further elaboration • Meta-model exercise • Case study on institutional analysis of water issues • Log sheet

4. Key literature and sources of information • SIRCH project: www.eci.ox.ac.uk • Working papers on institutional analysis, stakeholders • Descriptions of drought/floods in southern England, Netherlands and southern Spain • Eurowater project • Two volumes edited by Nunes Correra • EU water issues • summary fact sheets: //europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/... • summary of directive: • //europa.eu.int/water/water-framework/index_en.html …

5. What is a hydro-social issue? • Interactions of hydrology, management and consumers • Recurring issues • Affected by long-term trends in socio-economic conditions • Driven by EU policy • Relating to national policy

6. Traditional framing of issues: • Hydrological/hydraulic • What is the expected yield of a catchment? • Engineering • How much water leaks from the distribution system? • How can leakage be reduced? • Management • What is the economic level of leakage?

7. Linking social to hydrological: • How will new investment in water infrastructure be agreed? • How can local management structures balance competing uses? • How will stakeholders negotiate water entitlements in different conditions of water availability, especially scarcity? • How will consumers respond to periodic water shortages, or to increasing environmental concerns?

8. Global change

9. Stakeholders

10. SOCIO-INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES FLOW ATTRIBUTES FLOW REQUIREMENTS RESPONSES OUTCOMES Reactive Precautionary Proactive Integrating flow attributes and requirements

11. Inventory of issues: • Carousel • Four stations on defined themes • Moderator selected for each station • Small group visits each topic in succession • Report back to everyone • 30 minutes total

12. Groups on: • Global change • EU policy--the water directive • National and local issues in the Mediterranean • National and local issues in northern Europe

13. Steps: • List hydro-social issues for this topic • Review and add to list from previous group • Provide examples of the issues--where, who • Rank in order of importance in Europe

14. Inventory • Three stars • Extreme events: drought/floods, infrastructure • cross national issues--extreme events, pollution, flooding • scarcity of water supply • full recover costs pricing • institutions for conflict resolutions • industrial pollution • conflicts on water management • agricultural pollution

15. Catalogue • Chose issues as the core set to work on • Relate groups of issues to analytical methods • Lead institutes for further development • Background note on issue (1 page) • Examples in literature and case study areas (1 page) • Suggestions for modelling

16. Analysis • What is the policy issue? • Where is it most apparent? • Who are the stakeholders? • What is the range of effective action? • What are the relationships between stakeholders?

17. Conclusion

18. Results from four themes • Global change • European Union policy • Northern Europe • Southern Europe

19. Global change (1) • Emergence of water rights (UK, California) • Water scarcity--droughts, floods • Climate change--management • Conflicts over water--access • Pollution--chemical, agricultural, industrial, hygienic • Institutions • Land use changes (Spain, afforestation) • Changing perceptions of risk • Empowerment of stakeholders--EU directive • Demographic change--single person households

20. Global change (2) • Precautionary action--global warming • shift in value systems • Hydro-biological change • Agricultural practices • Technological change--better control of water flows • Lower credibility of experts--reflexive modernisation, e.g., Shell Brent Spar • Virtual water/food trade

21. European Union policy (1) • River basin management • Full recovery costs (pricing)--regulation vs markets • Good ecological quality • Inland navigation • Drinking water quality • Fishing • Tourism

22. European Union policy (2) • Sustainable management--costs, benefits • Subsidiarity--agreement for quantity not quality or drinking water • Quantity • Flood and drought management • Theoretical basis of policy analysis • Major accidents--toxic spills • Conflict resolutions principles

23. Northern Europe • Flooding and high water (Rhine) • Agricultural pollution (Norfolk Broads) • Industrial pollution • Ecosystem deterioration--rivers, estuaries, seashores • Drinking water quality (Rhine/Meuse) • Up/downstream water management and conflicts (Rhune, Wye) • Law enforcement and penalties (Camelsford and pollution of drinking water, nuclear discharges) • Fish farming • Navigation and transportation • Cross-national issues (Rhine, Meuse)

24. Southern Europe • Drought, lack of rain (Balearics) • Altered floods and drought • Pollution with pesticides • Scarcity of water supply (urban) (Barcelona) • Too many tourists--demand for quantity and quality; pollution (Venice) • Transfer between basins • Coordinate public and private • Farm production--irrigation, changing practices (SW France) • How to induce changes • Infrastructure to cope with extreme events (Venice, Majorca)