From participation to governance : a critical review of the concepts of governance, co-management and participation, and their implementation in small-scale inland fisheries in developing countries

This report reviews the role, nature and mechanisms of governance in inland fisheries. We do so by reviewing first the wider issues of governance, participation and co-management in natural resource management, and then focus on small-scale fisheries, and, in particular, small-scale (artisanal) activities operated within inland (river and adjacent floodplains) areas in developing countries.Fisheries, Developing countries, Fishery management

Multi-Sectoral Uses of Water & Approaches to DSS in Water Management in the NOSTRUM Partner Countries of the Mediterranean

Agriculture contributes an average of about 10% to the GDP of the partner countries of the Mediterranean involved in the project NOSTRUM. On the other hand, industry contributes an average of about 30% in these countries. It is to remark that in almost all countries the weight of industry accounts between 20% and 30% of the national economy, with the exception of Algeria, where this weight is at about 60%, mainly imputable to the great development of oil extraction and energy sector. In the majority of participating countries, agriculture sector is the greatest consumer of water (more than 65% of total water consumption). Although the case from France where agriculture water use is only about 10% of total water consumption and Italy with around 45%, but this may be due to the fact that most countries reporting for their agricultural water consumption do not include the amount of rain-fed to cultivated lands as a part of their agriculture water use. Most agriculture water use is limited to irrigation water from streams/rivers and groundwater. Rain-fed cultivated-lands in France is almost 90% of its total cultivated area. For Croatia, data given in National Report indicate a 0% of water use for agriculture. The average of water use for agriculture for all the basin is of 62.3% but with a great scatter expressed by a high standard deviation (26.8%) that reflects a wide variation range of water use for agriculture among different countries. The average of water use for agriculture is weakly less on northern countries (52.7%) than on southern countries (75.2) but the twice values are still on the range of the average of the all basin and cannot be taken as indication of difference between north and south. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plans are currently developed and implemented by various countries to organize the multi-sectoral water uses. On the other hand, the need for Decision Support System (DSS) as a tool in developing and implementing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is in growing demand. In spite of the great potential for the research and the development of DSS, the utilization of DSS in water management is not widely spread in the partner countries. In some countries, DSS was planned and developed at the scale of territorial integrated water management. Integration of DSS application to the existing IWRM systems at the partner countries would assist in satisfying the water related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).Integrated Water Resources Management, Decision Support Systems, Mediterranean Basin

Planning and managing water resources at the river-basin level: emergence and evolution of a concept

River basin development / Legislation / Environmental effects / Water resource management / Watersheds

Climate Policy in Developing Countries: Analysis of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Measures in Egypt

The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) refers to a country’s climate action plan to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change hazards. Each country is obliged to submit its NDCs to the UNFCCC, adhering to a guideline for increasing clarity and transparency. Nonetheless, few studies have employed this guideline to assess countries’ contributions, particularly the NDCs of developed countries. Our article centers on the case of The Arab Republic of Egypt (hereafter Egypt), which is extremely susceptible to climate change impacts due to its geographic location and economic structure. Using desk research and a systematic NDC analysis, this paper reviews recent measures Egypt has taken to build national resilience against climate change. We also assess Egypt’s planned mitigation and adaptation measures until 2030, documented in its updated NDC according to four criteria: mitigation ambition level, comprehensiveness, implementation plan, and transparency. The results show that Egypt’s 2022 NDC is more advanced on different fronts than the 2015 submission, focusing on fewer sectors and specific quantified targets for mitigation and adaptation. However, the updated NDC only partially meets the essential criteria for mitigation ambition level, implementability, and transparency. We provide a set of methodological and policy recommendations for improvement

Participatory modeling updates expectations for individuals and groups, catalyzing behavior change and collective action in water-energy-food nexus governance

Participatory modeling is a potentially high-impact approach for catalyzing fundamental sustainability transformations. We test if participation in a group system dynamics modeling exercise increases participants' agency through a novel method to evaluate potential behavioral change using expectations measures. A water-energy-food nexus a functionally interdependent but under-conceptualised system with low consensus and high scientific uncertainty -- was mapped and its evolution simulated by 46 participants in three interventions in a region undergoing hydropower infrastructure development in North-eastern Cambodia. Participants' system-related expectations were measured before and after the interventions. Our results suggest that participants became significantly more optimistic about their individual agency to increase agricultural and fishing income, and interestingly, less likely to participate in local government development planning procedures. Findings also reveal how some uncertainties for multiple variables were reduced within and across the groups. Such converging expectations suggest that participatory modelling could contribute to making collective solutions and institutionalised agreements more likely. This research contributes to innovation in sustainability because it unpacks some underlying mechanics of how participatory processes can lead to new adaptive capacities, shared perspectives and collective actions

Launching Delta Alliance, final report of phase 2

Delta Alliance is a network that aims to improve the resilience of the world’s deltas. It provides a foundation and framework for international knowledge sharing and development around delta issues. Phase 2 focussed on three components: developing the Delta Alliance organization, initiating network activities and (development of) research and knowledge sharing projects

Medium-term plan 2003 - 2005

This rolling Medium Term Plan (MTP) for 2003-2005 presents WorldFish CenterÆs (WorldFish) programs and partnerships and describes how they are designed to provide the scientific basis for the multiple positive contributions of sustainable aquatic resources management to poverty eradication, food security and environmental rehabilitation. Building upon WorldFish CenterÆs recent achievements in aquatic resources research and development, the MTP has been developed against the backdrop of world events in 2001-2002; particularly the food emergencies in Africa, the plight of world capture fisheries, global impacts of economic stagnation and anxiety about national and regional security.WorldFish Center, Research programs, MTP planning

Proceedings of the ACEWATER2 Scientific Workshop Accra (Ghana) 31 Oct – 3 Nov 2016

The African Centers of Excellence on Water (ACEWATER2) project, in its second phase (2016/19), promoted by the African Ministers of Water and financed by DG DEVCO, aims at supporting the establishment of Human Capacity Development Programme of the AMCOW (African Ministers’ Council on Water) in the Water Sector, strengthens institutional networking and improving research support to policy making by scaling up the approach of the pilot phase (phase I). The main activities of the project consist in: • Strengthening of two existing NEPAD water Centers of Excellence networks in West and Southern Africa; • Expanding the NEPAD water Centres of Excellence network to Central and Eastern Africa; • Strengthening institutional networking and improving research support to policy making in the water sector; • Supporting the implementation of the African Water Ministers’ declaration urging AUC and NEPAD Centers of Excellence to develop a “Human Capacity Development Programme for junior professional and technician level capacity challenges in the water sector”; • Developing an Atlas on Regional Water Cooperation. The project geographical scope covers three major regions: Southern Africa (7 countries), Western Africa (4 countries) and Eastern/Central Africa. The project is implemented by DG JRC (overall project management and scientific cluster) with UNESCO (human capacity development cluster). Within this project, a Workshop has been organized in Accra (Ghana) from October 31st to November 3rd, specifically devoted to the sharing among CoEs of scientific interests, competences and methods towards the effective planning of (scientific) activities, achievement and delivery of scientific tools and products to support (science-based) decision making processes. By means of scientific as well as technical presentations, round tables and participative sessions, the participants (35 people representing more than 30 Institutions among Universities, Research Centres, River Basin Authorities, Regional Economic Communities and key stakeholders on water issues, further to European research Institutions as CIRAD and CREAF) shared valuable experiences and competences, including case studies, around key thematic pillars, such as: Climate Issues (Session 1), African Water-Energy-Food nexus (Session 2), Groundwater (Session 3) and Water Governance&Diplomacy (Session 4). Workshop Proceedings gather all relevant contributions in the form of (extended) abstracts and short papers, providing a general overview of key relevant issues and partners scientific interests, turning to be a valuable resource for effective planning of next project steps.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

The 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development

The International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) was held virtually on September 20-21, 2021, with the conference theme “Research for Impact: A Sustainable and Inclusive Planet.” ICSD provides a forum for academia, government, civil society, UN agencies, and the private sector to come together to share practical solutions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The two-day conference hosted 49 different sessions across multiple time zones to accommodate the global audience, with 204 oral presenters, 239 poster presenters, and 977 total authors