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Chris Dickens; Matthew McCartney. Water-Related Ecosystems. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2021, 1 -10.
AMA StyleChris Dickens, Matthew McCartney. Water-Related Ecosystems. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 2021; ():1-10.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChris Dickens; Matthew McCartney. 2021. "Water-Related Ecosystems." Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals , no. : 1-10.
Floodplains are particularly important in the semi-arid region of the Sub-Sahelian Africa. In this region, water governance is still being developed, often without adequate information and technical capacity for good, sustainable water resource management. However, water resources are being allocated for use with minimal sustainability considerations. Environmental flows (e-flows) include the quantity and timing of flows or water levels needed to meet the sustainable requirements of freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. Holistic regional scale e-flows linked to floodplain management can make a noticeable contribution to sustainable floodplain management. The Inner Niger Delta (IND) in Mali is an example of a vulnerable, socio-ecologically important floodplain in the Sahel region of North Africa that is being developed with little understanding of sustainability requirements. Although integrally linked to the Upper Niger River catchment, the IND sustains a million and half people within the region and exports food to surrounding areas. The flooding of the Delta is the engine of the socio-economic development as well as its ecological integrity. This paper aims to demonstrate the contribution that holistic regional e-flow assessment using the PROBFLO approach has to achieving floodplain sustainability. This can be achieved through the determining the e-flow requirements to maintain critical requirements of the ecosystems and associated services used by local vulnerable human communities for subsistence and describing the socio-ecological consequences of altered flows. These outcomes can contribute to the management of the IND. In this study, the socio-ecological consequences of altered flows have been evaluated by assessing the risk of alterations in the volume, duration, and timing of flows, to a number of ecological and social endpoints. Based on the risk posed to these endpoints by each scenario of change, an e-flow of 58% (26,685 million cubic meters (MCM) of water annually) was determined that would protect the ecosystem and maintain indicator components at a sustainable level. These e-flows also provide sustainable services to local communities including products for subsistence and limit any abnormal increases in diseases to the vulnerable African communities who live in the basin. Relative risk outputs for the development scenarios result in low-to-high-risk probabilities for most endpoints. The future development scenarios include insufficient flows to maintain sustainability during dry or low-flow periods with an increase in zero flow possibilities. Although unsuitable during the low-flow or dry periods, sufficient water is available through storage in the basin to meet the e-flows if these scenarios were considered for implementation. The IND is more vulnerable to changes in flows compared to the rivers upstream of the IND. The e-flow outcomes and consequences of altered flow scenarios has contributed to the management of vulnerable IND floodplains and the requirements and trade-off considerations to achieve sustainability.
Gordon O’Brien; Chris Dickens; Chris Baker; Retha Stassen; Frank Van Weert. Sustainable Floodplains: Linking E-Flows to Floodplain Management, Ecosystems, and Livelihoods in the Sahel of North Africa. Sustainability 2020, 12, 10578 .
AMA StyleGordon O’Brien, Chris Dickens, Chris Baker, Retha Stassen, Frank Van Weert. Sustainable Floodplains: Linking E-Flows to Floodplain Management, Ecosystems, and Livelihoods in the Sahel of North Africa. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (24):10578.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGordon O’Brien; Chris Dickens; Chris Baker; Retha Stassen; Frank Van Weert. 2020. "Sustainable Floodplains: Linking E-Flows to Floodplain Management, Ecosystems, and Livelihoods in the Sahel of North Africa." Sustainability 12, no. 24: 10578.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) purport to report holistically on progress towards sustainability and do so using more than 231 discrete indicators, with a primary objective to achieve a balance between the environment, social and economic aspects of development. The research question underpinning the analyses presented in this paper is: are the indicators in the SDGs sufficient and fit for purpose to assess the trajectory of natural resources towards sustainability? We extracted the SDG indicators that monitor the state of natural resources, or alternately support policy or governance for their protection, and determined whether these are adequate to provide the essential data on natural resources to achieve the aims of the SDGs. The indicators are clustered into four natural resource categories—land, water (both marine and freshwater), air and biodiversity. Indicators for monitoring land resources show that the most comprehensive land resource indicator for degraded land is not fully implemented and that missing from land monitoring is an evaluation of vegetation health outside of forests and mountains, the condition of soils, and most importantly the overall health of terrestrial ecosystems. Indicators for monitoring water resources have substantial gaps, unable to properly monitor water quality, water stress, many aspects of marine resources and, most significantly, the health of fresh and salt water ecosystems. Indicators for monitoring of air have recently become more comprehensive, but linkage to IPCC results would benefit both programs. Monitoring of biodiversity is perhaps the greatest weakness of the SDG Agenda, having no comprehensive assessment even though narrow aspects are monitored. Again, deliberate linkages to other global biodiversity programs (e.g., CBD and the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework, IPBES, and Living Planet) are recommended on condition that data can be defined at a country level. While the SDG list of indicators in support of natural resource is moderately comprehensive, it lacks holistic monitoring in relation to evaluation of ecosystems and biodiversity to the extent that these missing but vital measures of sustainability threaten the entire SDG Agenda. In addition, an emerging issue is that even where there are appropriate indicators, the amount of country-level data remains inadequate to fully evaluate sustainability. This signals the delicate balance between the extent and complexity of the SDG Agenda and uptake at a country level.
Christopher Dickens; Matthew McCartney; David Tickner; Ian Harrison; Pablo Pacheco; Brown Ndhlovu. Evaluating the Global State of Ecosystems and Natural Resources: Within and Beyond the SDGs. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7381 .
AMA StyleChristopher Dickens, Matthew McCartney, David Tickner, Ian Harrison, Pablo Pacheco, Brown Ndhlovu. Evaluating the Global State of Ecosystems and Natural Resources: Within and Beyond the SDGs. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (18):7381.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChristopher Dickens; Matthew McCartney; David Tickner; Ian Harrison; Pablo Pacheco; Brown Ndhlovu. 2020. "Evaluating the Global State of Ecosystems and Natural Resources: Within and Beyond the SDGs." Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7381.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) purport to report holistically on progress towards sustainability and do so using more than 231 discrete indicators with a primary objective to achieve a balance between the environment, social and economic aspects of development. The research question underpinning the analyses presented in this paper is: are the indicators in the SDGs sufficient and fit-for-purpose to assess the trajectory of natural resources towards sustainability? We extracted the SDG indicators that monitor the state of natural resources, or alternately support policy or governance for their protection, and determined if these are adequate to provide the essential data on natural resources to achieve the aims of the SDGs. The indicators are clustered into four natural resource categories; land, water (both marine and freshwater), air and biodiversity. Indicators for monitoring land resources show that the most comprehensive land resource indicator, for degraded land, is not fully implemented and that missing from land monitoring is an evaluation of vegetation health outside of forests and mountains, the condition of soils, and most importantly the overall health of terrestrial ecosystems. Indicators for monitoring water resources have substantial gaps, unable to properly monitor water quality, water stress, many aspects of marine resources and most significantly, the health of fresh and salt water ecosystems. Indicators for monitoring of air have recently become more comprehensive, but linkage to IPCC results would benefit both programmes. Monitoring of biodiversity is perhaps the greatest weakness of the SDG Agenda, having no comprehensive assessment even though narrow aspects are monitored. Again, deliberate linkages to other global biodiversity programmes (e.g. CBD and the Post 2020 Biodiversity Framework; IPBES; Living Planet, etc.) are recommended on condition that data can be defined at a country level. While the SDG list of indicators in support of natural resource is moderately comprehensive, it lacks holistic monitoring in relation to evaluation of ecosystems and biodiversity to the extent that these missing but vital measures of sustainability threaten the entire SDG Agenda. In addition, an emerging issue is that even where there are appropriate indicators, the amount of country-level data remains inadequate to fully evaluate sustainability. This signals the delicate balance between the extent and complexity of the SDG Agenda and uptake at a country level
Christopher Dickens; Matthew McCartney; David Tickner; Ian J. Harrison; Pablo Pacheco; Brown Ndhlovu. Evaluating The Global State of Ecosystems and Natural Resources: within and beyond The SDGs. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleChristopher Dickens, Matthew McCartney, David Tickner, Ian J. Harrison, Pablo Pacheco, Brown Ndhlovu. Evaluating The Global State of Ecosystems and Natural Resources: within and beyond The SDGs. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChristopher Dickens; Matthew McCartney; David Tickner; Ian J. Harrison; Pablo Pacheco; Brown Ndhlovu. 2020. "Evaluating The Global State of Ecosystems and Natural Resources: within and beyond The SDGs." , no. : 1.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are high on the agenda for most countries of the world. In its publication of the SDGs, the UN has provided the goals and target descriptions that, if implemented at a country level, would lead towards a sustainable future. The IAEG (InterAgency Expert Group of the SDGs) was tasked with disseminating indicators and methods to countries that can be used to gather data describing the global progress towards sustainability. However, 2030 Agenda leaves it to countries to adopt the targets with each government setting its own national targets guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national circumstances. At present, guidance on how to go about this is scant but it is clear that the responsibility is with countries to implement and that it is actions at a country level that will determine the success of the SDGs. Reporting on SDGs by country takes on two forms: i) global reporting using prescribed indicator methods and data; ii) National Voluntary Reviews where a country reports on its own progress in more detail but is also able to present data that are more appropriate for the country. For the latter, countries need to be able to adapt the global indicators to fit national priorities and context, thus the global description of an indicator could be reduced to describe only what is relevant to the country. Countries may also, for the National Voluntary Review, use indicators that are unique to the country but nevertheless contribute to measurement of progress towards the global SDG target. Importantly, for those indicators that relate to the security of natural resources security (e.g., water) indicators, there are no prescribed numerical targets/standards or benchmarks. Rather countries will need to set their own benchmarks or standards against which performance can be evaluated. This paper presents a procedure that would enable a country to describe national targets with associated benchmarks that are appropriate for the country. The procedure builds on precedent set in other countries but in particular on a procedure developed for the setting of Resource Quality Objectives in South Africa. The procedure focusses on those SDG targets that are natural resource-security focused, for example, extent of water-related ecosystems (6.6), desertification (15.3) and so forth, because the selection of indicator methods and benchmarks is based on the location of natural resources, their use and present state and how they fit into national strategies.
Chris Dickens; Vladimir Smakhtin; Matthew McCartney; Gordon O’Brien; Lula Dahir. Defining and Quantifying National-Level Targets, Indicators and Benchmarks for Management of Natural Resources to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability 2019, 11, 462 .
AMA StyleChris Dickens, Vladimir Smakhtin, Matthew McCartney, Gordon O’Brien, Lula Dahir. Defining and Quantifying National-Level Targets, Indicators and Benchmarks for Management of Natural Resources to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (2):462.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChris Dickens; Vladimir Smakhtin; Matthew McCartney; Gordon O’Brien; Lula Dahir. 2019. "Defining and Quantifying National-Level Targets, Indicators and Benchmarks for Management of Natural Resources to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals." Sustainability 11, no. 2: 462.
Representation of land-use and hydrologic interactions in respective models has traditionally been problematic. The use of static land-use in most hydrologic models or that of the use of simple hydrologic proxies in land-use change models call for more integrated approaches. The objective of this study is to assess whether dynamic feedback between land-use change and hydrology can (1) improve model performances, and/or (2) produce a more realistic quantification of ecosystem services. To test this, we coupled a land-use change model and a hydrologic mode. First, the land-use change and the hydrologic models were separately developed and calibrated. Then, the two models were dynamically coupled to exchange data at yearly time-steps. The approach is applied to a catchment in South Africa. Performance of coupled models when compared to the uncoupled models were marginal, but the coupled models excelled at the quantification of catchment ecosystem services more robustly.
S.G. Yalew; T. Pilz; C. Schweitzer; S. Liersch; Johannes van der Kwast; A. Van Griensven; M.L. Mul; C. Dickens; Pieter van der Zaag. Coupling land-use change and hydrologic models for quantification of catchment ecosystem services. Environmental Modelling & Software 2018, 109, 315 -328.
AMA StyleS.G. Yalew, T. Pilz, C. Schweitzer, S. Liersch, Johannes van der Kwast, A. Van Griensven, M.L. Mul, C. Dickens, Pieter van der Zaag. Coupling land-use change and hydrologic models for quantification of catchment ecosystem services. Environmental Modelling & Software. 2018; 109 ():315-328.
Chicago/Turabian StyleS.G. Yalew; T. Pilz; C. Schweitzer; S. Liersch; Johannes van der Kwast; A. Van Griensven; M.L. Mul; C. Dickens; Pieter van der Zaag. 2018. "Coupling land-use change and hydrologic models for quantification of catchment ecosystem services." Environmental Modelling & Software 109, no. : 315-328.
Environmental flow (E-flow) frameworks advocate holistic, regional-scale, probabilistic E-flow assessments that consider flow and non-flow drivers of change in a socio-ecological context as best practice. Regional-scale ecological risk assessments of multiple stressors to social and ecological endpoints, which address ecosystem dynamism, have been undertaken internationally at different spatial scales using the relative-risk model since the mid-1990s. With the recent incorporation of Bayesian belief networks into the relative-risk model, a robust regional-scale ecological risk assessment approach is available that can contribute to achieving the best practice recommendations of E-flow frameworks. PROBFLO is a holistic E-flow assessment method that incorporates the relative-risk model and Bayesian belief networks (BN-RRM) into a transparent probabilistic modelling tool that addresses uncertainty explicitly. PROBFLO has been developed to evaluate the socio-ecological consequences of historical, current and future water resource use scenarios and generate E-flow requirements on regional spatial scales. The approach has been implemented in two regional-scale case studies in Africa where its flexibility and functionality has been demonstrated. In both case studies the evidence-based outcomes facilitated informed environmental management decision making, with trade-off considerations in the context of social and ecological aspirations. This paper presents the PROBFLO approach as applied to the Senqu River catchment in Lesotho and further developments and application in the Mara River catchment in Kenya and Tanzania. The 10 BN-RRM procedural steps incorporated in PROBFLO are demonstrated with examples from both case studies. PROBFLO can contribute to the adaptive management of water resources and contribute to the allocation of resources for sustainable use of resources and address protection requirements.
Gordon C. O'Brien; Chris Dickens; Eleanor Hines; Victor Wepener; Retha Stassen; Leo Quayle; Kelly Fouchy; James MacKenzie; P. Mark Graham; Wayne G. Landis. A regional-scale ecological risk framework for environmental flow evaluations. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 2018, 22, 957 -975.
AMA StyleGordon C. O'Brien, Chris Dickens, Eleanor Hines, Victor Wepener, Retha Stassen, Leo Quayle, Kelly Fouchy, James MacKenzie, P. Mark Graham, Wayne G. Landis. A regional-scale ecological risk framework for environmental flow evaluations. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 2018; 22 (2):957-975.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGordon C. O'Brien; Chris Dickens; Eleanor Hines; Victor Wepener; Retha Stassen; Leo Quayle; Kelly Fouchy; James MacKenzie; P. Mark Graham; Wayne G. Landis. 2018. "A regional-scale ecological risk framework for environmental flow evaluations." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 22, no. 2: 957-975.
Julia Reinhardt; Stefan Liersch; Mohamed Arbi Abdeladhim; Mori Diallo; Chris Dickens; Samuel Fournet; Fred Fokko Hattermann; Clovis Kabaseke; Moses Muhumuza; Marloes L. Mul; Tobias Pilz; Ilona M. Otto; Ariane Walz. Systematic evaluation of scenario assessments supporting sustainable integrated natural resources management: evidence from four case studies in Africa. Ecology and Society 2018, 23, 1 .
AMA StyleJulia Reinhardt, Stefan Liersch, Mohamed Arbi Abdeladhim, Mori Diallo, Chris Dickens, Samuel Fournet, Fred Fokko Hattermann, Clovis Kabaseke, Moses Muhumuza, Marloes L. Mul, Tobias Pilz, Ilona M. Otto, Ariane Walz. Systematic evaluation of scenario assessments supporting sustainable integrated natural resources management: evidence from four case studies in Africa. Ecology and Society. 2018; 23 (1):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJulia Reinhardt; Stefan Liersch; Mohamed Arbi Abdeladhim; Mori Diallo; Chris Dickens; Samuel Fournet; Fred Fokko Hattermann; Clovis Kabaseke; Moses Muhumuza; Marloes L. Mul; Tobias Pilz; Ilona M. Otto; Ariane Walz. 2018. "Systematic evaluation of scenario assessments supporting sustainable integrated natural resources management: evidence from four case studies in Africa." Ecology and Society 23, no. 1: 1.
Wetlands can only be well managed if their spatial location and extent are accurately documented, which presents a problem as wetland type and morphology are highly variable. Current efforts to delineate wetland extent are varied, resulting in a host of inconsistent and incomparable inventories. This study, done in the Witbank Dam Catchment in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa, explores a remote-sensing technique to delineate wetland extent and assesses the seasonal variations of the inundated area. The objective was to monitor the spatio-temporal changes of wetlands over time through remote sensing and GIS for effective wetland management. Multispectral satellite images, together with a digital elevation model (DEM), were used to delineate wetland extent. The seasonal variations of the inundated area were assessed through an analysis of monthly water indices derived from the normalised difference water index (NDWI). Landsat images and DEM were used to delineate wetland extent and MODIS images were used to assess seasonal variation of the inundated area. A time-series trend analysis on the delineated wetlands shows a declining tendency from 2000 to 2015, which could worsen in the coming few years if no remedial action is taken. Wetland area declined by 19% in the study area over the period under review. An analysis of NDWI indices on the wetland area showed that wetland inundated area is highly variable, exhibiting an increasing variability over time. An overlay of wetland area on cultivated land showed that 21% of the wetland area is subjected to cultivation which is a major contributing factor to wetland degradation.Keywords: Wetland extent, remote sensing, ecosystems, change detection, Sustainable Development Goals
L. Nhamo; James Magidi; Chris Dickens. Determining wetland spatial extent and seasonal variations of the inundated area using multispectral remote sensing. Water SA 2017, 43, 543 .
AMA StyleL. Nhamo, James Magidi, Chris Dickens. Determining wetland spatial extent and seasonal variations of the inundated area using multispectral remote sensing. Water SA. 2017; 43 (4):543.
Chicago/Turabian StyleL. Nhamo; James Magidi; Chris Dickens. 2017. "Determining wetland spatial extent and seasonal variations of the inundated area using multispectral remote sensing." Water SA 43, no. 4: 543.
John C. Conallin; Chris Dickens; Declan Hearne; Catherine Allan. Stakeholder Engagement in Environmental Water Management. Water for the Environment 2017, 129 -150.
AMA StyleJohn C. Conallin, Chris Dickens, Declan Hearne, Catherine Allan. Stakeholder Engagement in Environmental Water Management. Water for the Environment. 2017; ():129-150.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJohn C. Conallin; Chris Dickens; Declan Hearne; Catherine Allan. 2017. "Stakeholder Engagement in Environmental Water Management." Water for the Environment , no. : 129-150.
A. Sood; V. Smakhtin; N. Eriyagama; K. G. Villholth; N. Liyanage; Y. Wada; G. Ebrahim; C. Dickens. Global environmental flow information for the sustainable development goals. Global environmental flow information for the sustainable development goals 2017, 1 .
AMA StyleA. Sood, V. Smakhtin, N. Eriyagama, K. G. Villholth, N. Liyanage, Y. Wada, G. Ebrahim, C. Dickens. Global environmental flow information for the sustainable development goals. Global environmental flow information for the sustainable development goals. 2017; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleA. Sood; V. Smakhtin; N. Eriyagama; K. G. Villholth; N. Liyanage; Y. Wada; G. Ebrahim; C. Dickens. 2017. "Global environmental flow information for the sustainable development goals." Global environmental flow information for the sustainable development goals , no. : 1.
It is well known that land-use changes influence the hydrological cycle and that those changes in the hydrological cycle influence land use. The sophisticated spatial dynamic planning tools that have been developed in the last decades to support policy makers in the decision making process do not take into account the mutual feedbacks between land use and hydrology. In this study a framework for an integrated spatial decision support system is presented where the feedbacks between land use and hydrology are taken into account by coupling the SITE (Simulation of Terrestrial Environments) land-use model to the SWIM hydrological model. This framework enables policy makers to assess the impact of their planning scenarios on ecosystem services using a web-based tool that interactively presents trends in space and time of spatial indicators derived from both models. This approach is tested for the uThukela area, which is located along the northern areas of the Drakensberg Mountains which form the border between Lesotho and South Africa. The region is extremely important for its catchment-services as water derived from it is pumped into the Vaal River supplying water to the city of Johannesburg. Because of poor management of ecosystem services, less water is produced by the catchment more erratically, siltation levels are increasing and less carbon is retained in the soil. Biodiversity is threatened by grazing livestock, alien plants and other poor land management practices. In addition, overstocking, frequent burning and lack of soil protection measures have caused rill and gully erosion in areas of communal ownership where an overall management policy is lacking. The presented framework for a spatial integrated decision support system is currently being implemented and will be used by policy makers to assess policies developed for an Environmental Management Framework (EMF). Scenarios will be defined during stakeholder workshops. A prototype of the decision support system has been developed, but not all data necessary for modelling and calibration is yet available. From the analysis of land-use maps of 2005 and 2008 it was observed that forest and bush decreased, while settlements, subsistence farming, commercial farming and grassland increased.
J. Van Der Kwast; S. Yalew; Chris Dickens; L. Quayle; Julia Reinhardt; S. Liersch; Marloes Mul; M. Hamdard; W. Douven. A Framework for Coupling Land Use and Hydrological Modelling for Management of Ecosystem Services. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis 2013, 1, 230 .
AMA StyleJ. Van Der Kwast, S. Yalew, Chris Dickens, L. Quayle, Julia Reinhardt, S. Liersch, Marloes Mul, M. Hamdard, W. Douven. A Framework for Coupling Land Use and Hydrological Modelling for Management of Ecosystem Services. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis. 2013; 1 (5):230.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJ. Van Der Kwast; S. Yalew; Chris Dickens; L. Quayle; Julia Reinhardt; S. Liersch; Marloes Mul; M. Hamdard; W. Douven. 2013. "A Framework for Coupling Land Use and Hydrological Modelling for Management of Ecosystem Services." International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis 1, no. 5: 230.
The Pongola River Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (PRESPA) project quantified the economic benefits accuring to different livelihood sectors from the water resources of the Pongola floodplain, South Africa. The floodplain carries a diverse economy and ecology which is supported by flood events that once occured naturally but are now regulated by an upstream dam. PRESPA modelled the eco-hydrology which underpins various ecosystem services to determine how this might be managed to alleviate poverty. A model was used to quantify the economic value of the available water, especially the value accruing to the poor. This model linked to three development scenarios to explore trade-offs and outcomes of (1) a status quo, ‘unstructured’ economy; (2) a structured diverse economy; and (3) a structured ‘single sector’ agricultural economy. This model gives decision makers a measure of where water is best used in terms of poverty alleviation and enables them to examine future economic and ecosystem trajectories. In summary, poor households on the floodplain currently have a diversity of income and food sources, making them less vulnerable to economic and climatic shocks, while there is a trend towards intensive agriculture which may deliver higher returns but with greater costs and increased vulnerability.
Bruce Lankford; Catherine Pringle; Chris Dickens; Fonda Lewis; Myles Mander; Vasudha Chhotray; Marisa Goulden; Zibonele Nxele; Leo Quayle. Hydrological modelling of water allocation, ecosystem services and poverty alleviation in the Pongola floodplain, South Africa. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 2011, 54, 1237 -1260.
AMA StyleBruce Lankford, Catherine Pringle, Chris Dickens, Fonda Lewis, Myles Mander, Vasudha Chhotray, Marisa Goulden, Zibonele Nxele, Leo Quayle. Hydrological modelling of water allocation, ecosystem services and poverty alleviation in the Pongola floodplain, South Africa. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 2011; 54 (9):1237-1260.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBruce Lankford; Catherine Pringle; Chris Dickens; Fonda Lewis; Myles Mander; Vasudha Chhotray; Marisa Goulden; Zibonele Nxele; Leo Quayle. 2011. "Hydrological modelling of water allocation, ecosystem services and poverty alleviation in the Pongola floodplain, South Africa." Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 54, no. 9: 1237-1260.
This article provides an evidence‐based and policy‐relevant contribution to understanding the phenomenon of policy learning and its structural constraints in the field of river basin management, in particular related to coping with current and future climatic hazards such as floods and droughts. This has been done by a formal comparative analysis of eight water management regimes, by using multi‐value qualitative comparative analysis, focusing on the relationship between regime characteristics (as explanatory variables) and different levels of policy learning (as output value). This research has revealed the importance of the socio‐cognitive dimension, as an essential emerging property of complex adaptive governance systems. This socio‐cognitive dimension depends on a specific set of structural conditions; in particular, better integrated cooperation structures in combination with advanced information management are the key factors leading towards higher levels of policy learning. Furthermore, this research highlights a number of significant positive correlations between different regime elements, thereby identifying a stabilizing mechanism in current management regimes, and this research also highlights the necessity of fine‐tuning centralized control with bottom‐up approaches. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Patrick Huntjens; Claudia Pahl-Wostl; Benoit Rihoux; Maja Schlüter; Zsuzsanna Flachner; Susana Neto; Romana Koskova; Chris Dickens; Isah Nabide Kiti. Adaptive Water Management and Policy Learning in a Changing Climate: a Formal Comparative Analysis of Eight Water Management Regimes in Europe, Africa and Asia. Environmental Policy and Governance 2011, 21, 145 -163.
AMA StylePatrick Huntjens, Claudia Pahl-Wostl, Benoit Rihoux, Maja Schlüter, Zsuzsanna Flachner, Susana Neto, Romana Koskova, Chris Dickens, Isah Nabide Kiti. Adaptive Water Management and Policy Learning in a Changing Climate: a Formal Comparative Analysis of Eight Water Management Regimes in Europe, Africa and Asia. Environmental Policy and Governance. 2011; 21 (3):145-163.
Chicago/Turabian StylePatrick Huntjens; Claudia Pahl-Wostl; Benoit Rihoux; Maja Schlüter; Zsuzsanna Flachner; Susana Neto; Romana Koskova; Chris Dickens; Isah Nabide Kiti. 2011. "Adaptive Water Management and Policy Learning in a Changing Climate: a Formal Comparative Analysis of Eight Water Management Regimes in Europe, Africa and Asia." Environmental Policy and Governance 21, no. 3: 145-163.
A cross-comparison of climate change adaptation strategies across regions was performed, considering six large river basins as case study areas. Three of the basins, namely the Elbe, Guadiana, and Rhine, are located in Europe, the Nile Equatorial Lakes region and the Orange basin are in Africa, and the Amudarya basin is in Central Asia. The evaluation was based mainly on the opinions of policy makers and water management experts in the river basins. The adaptation strategies were evaluated considering the following issues: expected climate change, expected climate change impacts, drivers for development of adaptation strategy, barriers for adaptation, state of the implementation of a range of water management measures, and status of adaptation strategy implementation. The analysis of responses and cross-comparison were performed with rating the responses where possible. According to the expert opinions, there is an understanding in all six regions that climate change is happening. Different climate change impacts are expected in the basins, whereas decreasing annual water availability, and increasing frequency and intensity of droughts (and to a lesser extent floods) are expected in all of them. According to the responses, the two most important drivers for development of adaptation strategy are: climate-related disasters, and national and international policies. The following most important barriers for adaptation to climate change were identified by responders: spatial and temporal uncertainties in climate projections, lack of adequate financial resources, and lack of horizontal cooperation. The evaluated water resources management measures are on a relatively high level in the Elbe and Rhine basins, followed by the Orange and Guadiana. It is lower in the Amudarya basin, and the lowest in the NEL region, where many measures are only at the planning stage. Regarding the level of adaptation strategy implementation, it can be concluded that the adaptation to climate change has started in all basins, but progresses rather slowly.
Valentina Krysanova; Chris Dickens; Jos Timmerman; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Maja Schlüter; Koen Roest; Patrick Huntjens; Fons Jaspers; Hendrik Buiteveld; Edinson Moreno; Javier De Pedraza Carrera; Romana Slamova; Marta Martínková; Irene Blanco; Paloma Esteve; Kate Pringle; Claudia Pahl-Wostl; Pavel Kabat. Cross-Comparison of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Across Large River Basins in Europe, Africa and Asia. Water Resources Management 2010, 24, 4121 -4160.
AMA StyleValentina Krysanova, Chris Dickens, Jos Timmerman, Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Maja Schlüter, Koen Roest, Patrick Huntjens, Fons Jaspers, Hendrik Buiteveld, Edinson Moreno, Javier De Pedraza Carrera, Romana Slamova, Marta Martínková, Irene Blanco, Paloma Esteve, Kate Pringle, Claudia Pahl-Wostl, Pavel Kabat. Cross-Comparison of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Across Large River Basins in Europe, Africa and Asia. Water Resources Management. 2010; 24 (14):4121-4160.
Chicago/Turabian StyleValentina Krysanova; Chris Dickens; Jos Timmerman; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Maja Schlüter; Koen Roest; Patrick Huntjens; Fons Jaspers; Hendrik Buiteveld; Edinson Moreno; Javier De Pedraza Carrera; Romana Slamova; Marta Martínková; Irene Blanco; Paloma Esteve; Kate Pringle; Claudia Pahl-Wostl; Pavel Kabat. 2010. "Cross-Comparison of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Across Large River Basins in Europe, Africa and Asia." Water Resources Management 24, no. 14: 4121-4160.
Can a payment for flows of ecosystem goods and services system, following appropriate management and restoration of natural capital produced in rural areas of a developing country, be developed in a way that benefits communities, the commercial sector and the environment? This fundamental question acts as rationale for conducting an in-depth assessment as to whether the development of markets for ecosystems is both appropriate and sufficient when dealing with the restoration of natural capital of two degraded study areas within the Maloti–Drakensberg mountain range in southern Africa, which is a fire-prone grasslands ecosystem. The mountain range is South Africa's most strategic source of fresh water. While occupying less than 5% of South Africa's surface area, it produces 25% of the country's runoff through rivers, major dams, and national and international inter-basin transfers. Addressing the question, the study develops an integrated hydrology–ecology–economic model based on the functional relationships between these three aspects in managing and restoring the natural capital of the two study areas. It was found that the benefits of introducing improved management practices exceeds cost in low to medium degraded quinaries, but not in heavily degraded quinaries. The economic return on the water (baseflow) produced by such a system of improved land use management, however, far exceeds that of conventional (construction-based) water development programmes and offers meaningful economic and market development opportunities.
James Blignaut; Myles Mander; Roland Schulze; Mark Horan; Chris Dickens; Catherine Pringle; Khulile Mavundla; Isaiah Mahlangu; Adrian Wilson; Margaret McKenzie; Steve McKean. Restoring and managing natural capital towards fostering economic development: Evidence from the Drakensberg, South Africa. Ecological Economics 2010, 69, 1313 -1323.
AMA StyleJames Blignaut, Myles Mander, Roland Schulze, Mark Horan, Chris Dickens, Catherine Pringle, Khulile Mavundla, Isaiah Mahlangu, Adrian Wilson, Margaret McKenzie, Steve McKean. Restoring and managing natural capital towards fostering economic development: Evidence from the Drakensberg, South Africa. Ecological Economics. 2010; 69 (6):1313-1323.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJames Blignaut; Myles Mander; Roland Schulze; Mark Horan; Chris Dickens; Catherine Pringle; Khulile Mavundla; Isaiah Mahlangu; Adrian Wilson; Margaret McKenzie; Steve McKean. 2010. "Restoring and managing natural capital towards fostering economic development: Evidence from the Drakensberg, South Africa." Ecological Economics 69, no. 6: 1313-1323.
Historic models of conservation are being superseded by the integration of ecological, economic and social dimensions into a simultaneously sustainable and supportive whole. This transition is evident as South Africa evolves from an apartheid history to novel governance including the equitable, sustainable and efficient use of water within an arid and increasingly climate-challenged landscape. The concept of ‘value chains’, established in industrial and government thinking, has been applied to wa-ter issues. We explore and extend ‘value chain’ thinking to cover various important dimensions of water management, taking account of both developed-world assumptions and developing world realities. This analysis exposes the limitations of linear ‘value chains’, and the need to join them up into cyclic sys-tems if they are to protect or improve the capacity of water systems to support the sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing of people dependent upon diverse ecosystem services within catchments. Informed by practical work by the authors in catchments within South Africa, we develop an integrated catchment value system model to support action research dialogues for the delivery of sustainable water ser-vices
Mark Everard; John D Colvin; Myles Mander; Chris Dickens; Sam Chimbuya. Integrated Catchment Value Systems. Journal of Water Resource and Protection 2009, 01, 174 -187.
AMA StyleMark Everard, John D Colvin, Myles Mander, Chris Dickens, Sam Chimbuya. Integrated Catchment Value Systems. Journal of Water Resource and Protection. 2009; 01 (03):174-187.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMark Everard; John D Colvin; Myles Mander; Chris Dickens; Sam Chimbuya. 2009. "Integrated Catchment Value Systems." Journal of Water Resource and Protection 01, no. 03: 174-187.
Reliable indicators of water quality and river health are often difficult and expensive to derive. This paper reports on a process to develop a low technology, scientifically reliable and robust technique to monitor water quality in rivers and streams. With these requirements in mind the authors set about developing a simplified method of biomonitoring based on the tried and tested SASS (South African Scoring System) technique. This involved reducing the taxonomic complexity of SASS to a few aquatic invertebrate 'groupings' which would act as surrogates for the complete suite of SASS taxa. To be efficient the technique had to satisfy the following requirements: 1. minimise the number of aquatic invertebrate groupings necessary to perform miniSASS; 2. aquatic invertebrate groups should be easily identifiable; 3. the method should be robust and produce results comparable to the full SASS technique; and 4. be geographically widely applicable. These requirements were met in this development and for a large set of data (>2 000 records) covering the Mpumalanga / Eastern Seaboard (Umgeni Water) and Western Cape regions there appear to be no statistically significant differences between SASS and miniSASS scores. However, once the data becomes split into various water quality classes (as defined in the Draft Procedures for the Water Quality Reserve, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry 2002) statistically significant differences between SASS and miniSASS become apparent. Nonetheless, these differences are relatively small and are usually less than 1 ASPT score different. Potentially, every school, environmental or community group in the country could become a monitoring cell, and with this geographical spread use the miniSASS tool as a 'red flag' for the identification of aquatic pollution sources and events in their immediate environment. The parallel and supporting initiative, to be able to enter this 'real aquatic biomonitoring data' onto an internet web-based mapping programme (see www.riverhealth.co.za), extends the application of the resource making networking and broad based catchment water quality monitoring a real possibility. miniSASS can therefore be used with some confidence, producing data which vary slightly from SASS, but which is sufficiently accurate to be of value to all stakeholders with an interest in river health. The increased opportunity for communities to become involved, use a scientifically valid tool and undertake real biomonitoring of their river systems is probably the most important aspect of the development of this resource. Through this involvement, live, real-time monitoring and investigation of pollution sources in their systems is possible, and the opportunity for improved environmental management a reality.
P Mark Graham; Chris Ws Dickens; R Jim Taylor. miniSASS — A novel technique for community participation in river health monitoring and management. African Journal of Aquatic Science 2004, 29, 25 -35.
AMA StyleP Mark Graham, Chris Ws Dickens, R Jim Taylor. miniSASS — A novel technique for community participation in river health monitoring and management. African Journal of Aquatic Science. 2004; 29 (1):25-35.
Chicago/Turabian StyleP Mark Graham; Chris Ws Dickens; R Jim Taylor. 2004. "miniSASS — A novel technique for community participation in river health monitoring and management." African Journal of Aquatic Science 29, no. 1: 25-35.
C Ws Dickens; P M Graham. The South African Scoring System (SASS) Version 5 Rapid Bioassessment Method for Rivers. African Journal of Aquatic Science 2002, 27, 1 -10.
AMA StyleC Ws Dickens, P M Graham. The South African Scoring System (SASS) Version 5 Rapid Bioassessment Method for Rivers. African Journal of Aquatic Science. 2002; 27 (1):1-10.
Chicago/Turabian StyleC Ws Dickens; P M Graham. 2002. "The South African Scoring System (SASS) Version 5 Rapid Bioassessment Method for Rivers." African Journal of Aquatic Science 27, no. 1: 1-10.
Chris Dickens. Implementing a river health monitoring programme in South Africa. SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010 2000, 27, 2323 -2325.
AMA StyleChris Dickens. Implementing a river health monitoring programme in South Africa. SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010. 2000; 27 (4):2323-2325.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChris Dickens. 2000. "Implementing a river health monitoring programme in South Africa." SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010 27, no. 4: 2323-2325.