Resilience Viewed through the Lens of Climate Change and Water Management

Abstract

Resilience is not a new idea but there has been an upsurge in efforts to operationalize the concept within water management. This review begins with a synopsis of related themes around persistent and emerging pressures on freshwaters; environmental thresholds (or tipping points); ‘safe’ operating conditions; multiple stable states; regime shifts. A case is made for viewing and managing the resilience of water systems at nested scales. Indicators are needed to track evolving climate risks as well as to measure socio-ecological responses. Catchment properties can identify those river systems that are more or less likely to return to a pre-disturbance state; resilience further depends on institutional and social landscapes. Ideally, allied notions of resistance and reliability are applied alongside resilience to broaden the portfolio of adaptation measures. Water managers would also benefit from more consistent use of resilience terminology; incentives to build back better after catastrophes; strategic monitoring of incipient threats and tipping points; availability of long-term adaptation indicators; coordinated efforts to reduce non-climatic pressures on freshwaters (especially in headwaters); evidence-based, practical guidance on adaptation measures that build resilience.

Drought effects on invertebrate metapopulation dynamics and quasi‐extinction risk in an intermittent river network

“…However, such efforts generally overlook ecological impacts arising from cross‐scale interactions (e.g. changes in spatial synchrony among populations), and large‐scale resilience (Wilby, 2020; Williams et al, 2020). Our study highlights that both the spatial scales of climate‐driven flow alteration and the role of drought as a large‐scale synchronizing driver warrant greater attention.…”

A Critical Review of Green Approach on Wastewater Treatment Strategies

“…Resilience: Constructed wetlands are highly resilient and can continue to function even under extreme weather conditions such as floods or droughts. The plants and bacteria in the system can adapt to changes in the environment and continue to effectively treat the water (Stefanakis, 2019;Wilby, 2020;Salimi et al, 2021).…”

Rising water temperature in rivers: Ecological impacts and future resilience

“…Clearly, such rivers are globally rare, at least for any major, continuous distance. However, the more capacity that rivers have to respond to the changing climate, the more resilient the socio‐ecological communities within them are likely to be, buying time to adapt by removing other pressures and constraints on river ecosystems (Palmer et al, 2009; Tonkin et al, 2019; Wilby, 2020).…”

“…Counterbalancing this is the fact that ecosystem functions will likely be provided by more stress‐tolerant taxa making future prediction challenging and likely river and context‐specific. The interaction between functional resilience and habitat degradation means that reducing nonclimatic anthropogenic stresses may buy time for exposed ecosystems, and potentially for organisms to adapt (Hansen et al, 2003; Wilby, 2020).…”