Understanding rivers and their social relations: A critical step to advance environmental water management

Abstract

River flows connect people, places, and other forms of life, inspiring and sustaining diverse cultural beliefs, values, and ways of life. The concept of environmental flows provides a framework for improving understanding of relationships between river flows and people, and for supporting those that are mutually beneficial. Nevertheless, most approaches to determining environmental flows remain grounded in the biophysical sciences. The newly revised Brisbane Declaration and Global Action Agenda on Environmental Flows (2018) represents a new phase in environmental flow science and an opportunity to better consider the co-constitution of river flows, ecosystems, and society, and to more explicitly incorporate these relationships into river management. We synthesize understanding of relationships between people and rivers as conceived under the renewed definition of environmental flows. We present case studies from Honduras, India, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia that illustrate multidisciplinary, collaborative efforts where recognizing and meeting diverse flow needs of human populations was central to establishing environmental flow recommendations. We also review a small body of literature to highlight examples of the diversity and interdependencies of human-flow relationships—such as the linkages between river flow and human well-being, spiritual needs, cultural identity, and sense of place—that are typically overlooked when environmental flows are assessed and negotiated. Finally, we call for scientists and water managers to recognize the diversity of ways of knowing, relating to, and utilizing rivers, and to place this recognition at the center of future environmental flow assessments.This article is categorized under:Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and AwarenessHuman Water > Water GovernanceHuman Water > Water as Imagined and Represented

Reflexive learning in adaptive management: A case study of environmental water management in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia

“…Reflexive learning must be resourced and implemented as part of a monitoring strategy that integrates and promotes social relations in environmental flow management (cf. Anderson et al, ). Thus, it requires the participation of social researchers in traditionally scientific monitoring programs (Rogers et al, ; Schoeman et al, ).…”

“…Central to any type of adaptive management is the alignment and establishment of common values and problem frames, and the continuing sharing of experiences among stakeholders (Anderson et al, ) using adaptive feedback processes (Allan & Watts, ; Bettini, Brown, & De Haan, ; Pollard, du Toit, & Biggs, ). Reflexive learning, a process of identifying and critically examining the assumptions, values, and actions that frame knowledge (Cunliffe, ), is vital to the effectiveness of adaptive management (Pollard & du Toit, ).…”

“…Environmental flow policy and programs are designed to set allocations of water for the environment, and to monitor, assess, and evaluate the outcomes of environmental flows in both biophysical and social systems (Anderson et al, ; Horne, Webb, Stewardson, Richter, & Acreman, ). Implicit in environmental flow programs is the need to make decisions about the complex tradeoffs between the costs and benefits of environmental water, often with limited knowledge of the biophysical and social systems effected (Webb, Watts, Allan, & Conallin, ).…”

“…Deliberate attention on reflexive learning could enhance decision‐making concerned with environmental water allocations because it facilitates adaptive feedbacks between stakeholders, managers, and scientists, as well as fostering social relations (cf. Anderson et al, ). The adaptive feedback system proposed in the SRLF formalizes these reflexive learning requirements for adaptive management of environmental flows.…”

Conserving Rivers and Their Biodiversity in Tanzania

“…According to the internationally-accepted, revised Brisbane Declaration [5], the term environmental flow refers to: the quantity, timing, and quality of freshwater flows and levels necessary to sustain aquatic ecosystems which, in turn, support human cultures, economies, sustainable livelihoods, and well-being [45]. In this century, Tanzania is among a growing list of countries that have increased geographic coverage of environmental flow assessments, and in-country capacity to complete them [46,47]. To date, environmental flow assessments have been realized for at least six Tanzanian rivers, including the Pangani, Wami, Ruaha, Mara, Ruvu and Rufiji (Table 1) [4,[24][25][26][27]31].…”