further progress
A shared understanding of benefits is acknowledged as key for fostering cooperation. Benefits are often not made visible andthe consideration of benefits is often limited to the water sector even though benefits go beyond the basin. Further progress can be made by “getting out of the water box” and adopting a cross-sectoral approach. Complimentary agendas of countries and sectors should be identified and built upon. Investments in water quality infrastructure is one example were cooperation can translate to mutual benefit. In looking for entry points for cooperation in politically contentious basins, it can be helpful to find common interests and build confidence at a technical level. A combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches is important. Top-down processes are dependent on political will and skill. This is highlighted by the increased public pressure to decrease the economic, social and environmental costs of not acting on water quality issues. There is an increased awareness at political level that we need to agree on solutions to common problems. From the bottom-up perspective, we need to communicate and share experiences, so that we can learn from these cases and adapt methods to local conditions. Improvements in knowledge-sharing and capacity building can reduce power asymmetries and enable knowledge-based decisions. There is an expressed need to bridge the gap between conservation and development. This requires a balance in viewing wetlands, freshwater and coastal ecosystems as pristine systems and in valuing their worth as providers of services and benefits. In managing water across borders, maintaining the integrity of these systems to sustain the provision of services can be an opportunity for collaboration and cooperation between countries.
Equitable, effective and sustainable water resources management requires inclusive negotiation, which means that constructive engagement between multiple stakeholders is critical. If decisions made over water are not recognised as legitimate, non-compliance can lead to pollution and degradation of the resources. The need for top-down guidance should be complimented by local solutions and action. Affected communities should have the opportunity to increase participation and ensure the selection of technologies that suits them best. This should not be delayed by the finalisation of “grand plans” or decision from above. Local problems can also be translated to local business opportunities. Whilst a priority water quality issue is safe drinking water, this is not the only issue. Water quality is integral to many services provided by the global freshwater system. There has been much attention to water quality guidelines for drinking water, but there is not yet agreement on an approach to water quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems.
Equitable, effective and sustainable water resources management requires inclusive negotiation, which means that constructive engagement between multiple stakeholders is critical. If decisions made over water are not recognised as legitimate, non-compliance can lead to pollution and degradation of the resources. The need for top-down guidance should be complimented by local solutions and action. Affected communities should have the opportunity to increase participation and ensure the selection of technologies that suits them best. This should not be delayed by the finalisation of “grand plans” or decision from above. Local problems can also be translated to local business opportunities. Whilst a priority water quality issue is safe drinking water, this is not the only issue. Water quality is integral to many services provided by the global freshwater system. There has been much attention to water quality guidelines for drinking water, but there is not yet agreement on an approach to water quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems.
