Assessment of the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus in
transboundary river basins: the Alazani/Ganikh Basin Pilot
Annukka LipponenUnited Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE)Manuel Welsch, Lucia de Strasser,
Sebastian Hermann, Mark Howells
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Assessment of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus under the Water Convention in selected basins• Part of the Convention’s Work Programme 2013-2015• Work overseen and guided by the Task Force on the
Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus • Some 6-8 basins to be assessed – pan-Europe, Africa,
Asia; different nexus settings, climate, resource scarcity etc.
• Key partners: Finland (lead)/Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, FAO, Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm)
• Methodology developed, piloted & going through stakeholder consultation
• Basin assessments January 2014 - April 2015; report August 2015
What does the nexus entail in a transboundary context?
• Finding a balance between various uses and protection of the resource: address the trade offs and increase synergies
• Necessary to coordinate plans & management measures between the riparian countries ― nexus further complicated!
• Needed:• Increased understanding, dialogue and
participation• Effective institutions and legal frameworks• Decision-support tools (monitoring, impact
assessment etc.)• Regulations, economic tools• Sharing / solidarity/political willingness
Some Key Features of the Methodological Approach/process…
Participatory processes
Sound scientific analysis
Knowledge
mobilizationCapacity building Collective effort
Diagnostic Phase
The nexus analysis starts with a large-spectrum set of questions regarding the natural and socio-economical conditions, and human interaction with the environment of the target basin.
This performed by:• Joint identification of the pressing inter-
sectoral issues with national sectoral administrations and basin stakeholders (workshop)
• Develop and distribute a «diagnostic questionaire»
• Using available statistics data and indicators Biodiversity?
Water scarcity?Pollution?
Floods?Irrigation?Growing demand?
Erosion?
Climate Change?
Diagnostic Phasesome examples of indicators and their potential interlinkages
WATER FOOD & LAND USE ENERGY ECOSYSTEM
S CLIMATE
- Water withdrawals?
- Share of groundwater use?
- Sectoral water demands (agriculture)
- ….
- Food self-sufficiency?
- Agricultural efficiency (water demand?)
- Fertilizer and pumping requirements?
- Biofuel policies? ….
- Water footprint of energy technologies?
- Energy mix- Energy self-
sufficiency? Energy demand for agriculture?
- ….
- Protected areas and vulnerable zones?
- Biodiversity hotspots
- Endangered species?
- Ecosystem services affected?
- ….
- Likely affected by climate change?
- An increase / decrease in water availability?
- ….
Nexus Analysis
Alazani/Ganikh pilot assessment: Azerbaijan & Georgia
Interactive multi-sectoral basin workshop in Kachreti, Georgia, 25-27 November 2013; organised in cooperation with UNDP/GEF project “Reducing Transboundary Degradation in the Kura Aras River Basin” and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia
Among the participants:ministries of environment, energy, agriculture, emergency situations; communities; agencies, companies; civil society
Energy Land / Food
Water Ecosystems
Degradation of
Hydrological Regime
Deforestation
Energy
Growth
Using Firewood
as primary energy source
Loss of ecosystems
services
With Improved
Water Management
Gasification and
Electrification of Rural
Areas
Reforestation
Restoration of ecosystems
services
Improvement of
Hydrological Regime
Identification of potential solutions jointly with the riparian countries and between the sectors
• What the countries plan? Are the plans of the different sectors compatible? What do changing drivers & the climate outlook mean for the nexus? How to better reconcile the different uses?
• What opportunities there are to reduce negative intersectoral impacts and enhance synergy? Institutional arrangements at transboundary level conducive to intersectoral coordination?
• Diverse solutions! Changes to policies, new policies, managementand measures practices, institutional arrangements, ways the infrastructure is operated ...
Tendencies & particularities of the Alazani/Ganikh case• Development pressures: inter-sectoral
considerations timely• Expansion of hydropower in Georgia (new energy
strategy)• Gasification available in urban areas but remains
beyond affordability for many (GE)• Large state programmes; state companies and
operators• IWRM plans under development in Georgia and in
Azerbaijan with GEF support• Agreement on transboundary waters being
negotiated (AZ-GE); multi-sector representation from the countries
Some concluding points: (1) What can the governments do?
• Ensuring collection of relevant data & information, making it available
• Ensuring a rational and predictable policy framework to help spur the development and adoption of more water efficient technologies in the energy sector
• Setting appropriate permit conditions for sectoral development projects, requiring EIA (also transboundary)
• Strategic planning of locating infrastructure projects
• Ensuring relevant sectors' representation and consultation also in institutions for transboundary cooperation
Some concluding points: (2) Challenges and opportunities
• Commonly channels & forums for dialogue & coordination absent or undeveloped, both at national and transboundary levels
• very few methods or diagnostic tools that allow for fast and quantitative appraisal of nexus issues; need to appraise consistent inter-sectoral scenarios (compound effects!)
• water not valued consistently between sectors• By sharing information and through dialogue by
applying assessment tools (including mapping and models), it is possible to find win-win opportunities
• shortages raise awareness about vulnerabilities and can trigger more rationalised use of water
• knowledge base improving, good practices getting disseminated (context specificity!)
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