Updates: Current developments in the discourse field Biodiversity & Climate

With which political developments is BiKF confronted as a research centre as well as concerning its research and transfer efforts? Are there any hints for emerging research questions that meet practical needs? This paper gives an overview – as of June 2010 – on priority issues in the run-up to CBD’s COP-10, the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will take place in Nagoya/Japan in October 2010. Highlighted discourse threads are: (1) the state of negotiations for an Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regime within CBD, (2) European and international preparations for renewing the political objectives for protecting biodiversity (Post-2010 Targets) and (3) the recent decision on an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). These three threads are selected against the background of an in depth analysis of the discourse field which was carried out in 2008/09 for BiKF. They show how the field progresses and which developments are worth being incorporated into BiKF’s further work. This Knowledge Flow Paper documents the talk given by the author during the second BiKF Retreat, 17–18 July 2010

Water use options for regional development : potentials of new water technologies in Central Northern Namibia

The CuveWaters project relates the alignment and implementation of innovative water technologies to an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Cuvelai-Etosha-Basin, which lies in Central Northern Namibia. The aim here is to improve inhabitants’ living conditions by means of appropriate technical schemes and measures – particularly with a view to enhancing water supply and basic sanitation (incl. waste water disposal). A focal part of Cuve-Waters concerns the re-use of water, efficient use of water and utilisation of different water qualities for different purposes (multi-resource mix). With respect to urban conditions and the problems of adequate supply and sanitation, the prospect of a semi-decentralised infrastructure system is under investigation, a concept which includes rainwater utilisation as well as waste water collection and treatment. One major option for such systems, in which waste water is considered a valuable resource, is a washing house combining effective waste water collection (vacuum sewer) with high-tech separation techniques (generation of energy, nutrients and waste water processing). Cleaned waste water – free of bacteria, viruses or pathogens – and fertiliser from an anaerobic waste water treatment plant can be re-used for irrigation in small scale agriculture to enhance food security and/or generate alternative income through the marketing of fresh produce. Energy, in the form of biogas, can be used for cooking or lighting. On the rural sites of the study area, adequate water supply poses a major challenge, for which three technology options are investigated here: rainwater harvesting, solar-coupled desalination of brackish groundwater, and managed aquifer recharge. Suitable technology options are selected for different sites in a participatory process (cf. CuveWaters Project 2008a, CuveWaters Project 2008b). Thus, general aims of the project in terms of providing regional economic impetus and improving livelihoods are: - to link integrated water resources management to land issues, develop the technology needed to build capacity, and achieve better governance; - to bring together supply- and demand-driven approaches in developing the infrastructure; - to consider water as related to other resources (land, energy, nutrients) and other fields of sustainability such as poverty reduction, equality and regional development. From these project objectives arise the key questions driving the surveys documented in this paper: what impetus for regional development can be expected from the implementation of technological options selected for the CuveWaters project? What constraints and obstacles need to be considered here, particularly in terms of incorporating the technologies into strategies of IWRM? What conclusions can be drawn when it comes to the supervision of implementation (training, capacity building, governance)? After an introduction the economic and social situation in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin along with the conditions for urban agriculture is outlined. This is followed by the discussion of the potentials for water-related activities in the region, taking into account additional water uses and the operation and development of infrastructures, whilst investigating the potentials of urban agriculture for Central Northern Namibia. Finally, these potentials are summarized and conclusions pertaining to flanking measures for technical implementation are drawn

Water use options for regional development. Potentials of new water technologies in Central Northern Namibia

The CuveWaters project relates the alignment and implementation of innovative water technologies to an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Cuvelai-Etosha-Basin, which lies in Central Northern Namibia. The aim here is to improve inhabitants’ living conditions by means of appropriate technical schemes and measures – particularly with a view to enhancing water supply and basic sanitation (incl. waste water disposal). A focal part of Cuve-Waters concerns the re-use of water, efficient use of water and utilisation of different water qualities for different purposes (multi-resource mix). With respect to urban conditions and the problems of adequate supply and sanitation, the prospect of a semi-decentralised infrastructure system is under investigation, a concept which includes rainwater utilisation as well as waste water collection and treatment. One major option for such systems, in which waste water is considered a valuable resource, is a washing house combining effective waste water collection (vacuum sewer) with high-tech separation techniques (generation of energy, nutrients and waste water processing). Cleaned waste water – free of bacteria, viruses or pathogens – and fertiliser from an anaerobic waste water treatment plant can be re-used for irrigation in small scale agriculture to enhance food security and/or generate alternative income through the marketing of fresh produce. Energy, in the form of biogas, can be used for cooking or lighting. On the rural sites of the study area, adequate water supply poses a major challenge, for which three technology options are investigated here: rainwater harvesting, solar-coupled desalination of brackish groundwater, and managed aquifer recharge. Suitable technology options are selected for different sites in a participatory process (cf. CuveWaters Project 2008a, CuveWaters Project 2008b). Thus, general aims of the project in terms of providing regional economic impetus and improving livelihoods are: - to link integrated water resources management to land issues, develop the technology needed to build capacity, and achieve better governance; - to bring together supply- and demand-driven approaches in developing the infrastructure; - to consider water as related to other resources (land, energy, nutrients) and other fields of sustainability such as poverty reduction, equality and regional development. From these project objectives arise the key questions driving the surveys documented in this paper: what impetus for regional development can be expected from the implementation of technological options selected for the CuveWaters project? What constraints and obstacles need to be considered here, particularly in terms of incorporating the technologies into strategies of IWRM? What conclusions can be drawn when it comes to the supervision of implementation (training, capacity building, governance)? After an introduction the economic and social situation in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin along with the conditions for urban agriculture is outlined. This is followed by the discussion of the potentials for water-related activities in the region, taking into account additional water uses and the operation and development of infrastructures, whilst investigating the potentials of urban agriculture for Central Northern Namibia. Finally, these potentials are summarized and conclusions pertaining to flanking measures for technical implementation are drawn.water use; urban gardening; poverty reduction; development; Integrated Water Resources Management; Namibia; Africa

Population decline and infrastructure: The case of the German water supply system

The dynamic interaction between population and water is usually discussed in the context of development issues in Third World countries, but rarely analysed for northern, industrialised countries. Nevertheless, the improvement of a supply system’s ability to adapt to demographic changes poses challenges for industrialised countries as well, and generating knowledge for developing adequate solutions also implies new, intriguing tasks for demography. This article analyses the relationships between population decline and water infrastructure using Germany as a case study. After sketching the development of the debate on the correlation between population and problems of water supply, the most relevant demographic factors affecting the water infrastructure are described in general. The authors then identify the implications of demographic change for water demand and use on the one hand, and the resulting effects on technical networks and their economic basis on the other. Finally, approaches for solving the problems and possibilities for taking action are discussed.

Ecosystem Services – Ökonomische Analyse ihres Verlusts, ihre Bewertung und Steuerung

Der Verlust biologischer Vielfalt und ökosystemarer Dienstleistungen (ecosystem services, ESS) kann im Wesentlichen auf die nicht-nachhaltige Nutzung der Biosphäre durch den Menschen zurückgeführt werden. Eine Betrachtung der ökonomischen Gründe für die degradierende Nutzung sowie möglicher Instrumente dem Verlust zu begegnen, bilden den Gegenstand dieses Knowledge Flow Papers. Das Paper knüpft damit an das Knowledge Flow Paper Nr. 6 an, indem eine erste Einführung in das Thema Ecosystem Services gegeben wurde, wobei eine Fokussierung auf der Definition und den Kriterien für eine Klassifizierung von ESS lag. Im vorliegenden Paper wird zunächst beschrieben, worin die Ursachen des Verlustes biologischer Vielfalt und ESS aus umweltökonomischer Sicht liegen. Es werden dazu wesentliche ökonomische Problematiken skizziert: der öffentliche Gutscharakter vieler Umweltgüter sowie das Auftreten sog. externer Effekte, die zu Marktversagen führen. In dem darauf folgenden Abschnitt werden umweltpolitische Instrumente als Lösungsansätze für diese Problematiken erörtert. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf den sog. Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), ein umweltökonomisches Regulationsinstrument, das seit einigen Jahren global zunehmend Anwendung findet. ...The Knowledge Flow Paper at hand gives an overview of the economic reasons for the loss of biodiversity and eco-system services, i.e. the public goods character and externalities. It points out that natural ecosystems have a higher economic value than currently reflected by market prices. The paper then focuses on policy instruments particularly Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) that take into account those values which are not refelected by markets. For the design of policy instruments subjective preferences of the stakeholders concerning the use of ecosystem services are an important information. In economics these preferences are typically narrowed down to a monetary value. Therefore the paper deals with the opportunities and challenges of methods for economic valuation of ecosystem services. It concludes that these methods have restrictions and that it will be impossible to come up with a precise global monetary value, because subjective preferences differ in time and from on place to another. On a smaller scale however monetary values can be generated more precise. Economic valuation is thus seen as an additional criteria in decision making besides ecological assessments and ethics

Klimabedingte Veränderungen der Biodiversität : eine Diskursfeldanalyse für BiKF

Das Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiKF) hat sich selbst das Ziel gesetzt, mit seinen Arbeiten wissenschaftliche Beiträge zum Management klimabedingter relevanter Biodiversitätsveränderungen sowie zur Erfüllung internationaler Übereinkommen wie der EU-Fauna-Flora-Habitat-Richtlinie (EU-FFH), der EU-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie (EU-WRRL), der internationalen Biodiversitätskonvention (CBD) und der Klimarahmenkonvention (UNFCCC) zu liefern. Voraussetzung dafür ist ein Ergebnis- und Wissenstransfer zwischen den Forschenden des Zentrums und den Anspruchsgruppen aus Zivilgesellschaft, Politik und Wirtschaft (vgl. Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiKF) 2008: 1 und 40ff.). Um gesellschaftliche Wirkungen zu erzeugen, müssen die Interessen, Positionen und praktischen Wissensbestände der Anspruchsgruppen in die Forschungen aufgenommen werden und die Forschungsergebnisse in die gesellschaftliche Praxis (rück-) vermittelt werden. Um für das Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiKF) ein besseres Verständnis über die Entstehung und den Transfer von Wissen zwischen Forschung und Gesellschaft vorzubereiten und Ansatzpunkte für Interventionen in öffentliche Debatten aufzuzeigen, wurde eine problemorientierte Diskursfeldanalyse (DFA) zum übergreifenden Themengebiet Klimabedingte Biodiversitätsveränderungen durchgeführt (zur Methode siehe Infobox). Dabei wurden prioritäre Themen identifiziert sowie relevante Akteure und ihre Positionen typisiert. Diese Analyse dient somit als Orientierungshilfe für die strategische Ausrichtung des Zentrums; sie bietet eine strukturierte Grundlage für eine zentrumsinterne Diskussion des weiteren Vorgehens im Wissens- und Ergebnistransfer. Die Diskursfeldanalyse speist sich aus drei Detailanalysen zu den Diskursarenen ‚9. Vertragsstaatenkonferenz der CBD‘, ‚Nationale Biodiversitätsstrategie‘ und ‚Millennium Ecosystem Assessment‘. Diese werden nach einer kurzen Einführung zur Methode vorgestellt. In einem zweiten Schritt werden die über diese drei Arenen hinweg relevanten und für BiKF mögliche Ansatzpunkte bietenden Diskursstränge aufgezeigt. Diese illustrieren die Vielfalt an Themen und Positionen der Akteure innerhalb des Diskursfelds. Abschließend werden Schlussfolgerungen für die Struktur von Wissenskonflikten im Diskursfeld gezogen, die Orientierung geben sollen für eine weitere Auseinandersetzung des Forschungszentrums mit möglichen Querschnittsthemen und Zielen von Interventionen in den Diskurs.The Knowledge Flow Paper on hand is linking a problem-oriented discourse field analysis to the broader subject of climatically caused changes of biological diversity. This synthesis is a first step towards a better understanding of the emergence of knowledge and its transfer between science and society. And it is thus to identify starting points for BiKF to step into public debates. The analysis of the discourse field is referring to three detailed analyses of discussion namely the ones in the “Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity”, the “National Strategy towards Biological Diversity”, and the “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment”. Following a brief introduction of the method the three analyses are being presented and in a second step overlapping strands of discourse will be identified as possible approaches for BiKF. These reveal the diversity of subjects and actors’ positions within the discourse field. Finally we will draw conclusions concerning the structure of knowledge conflicts within this field which are to provide an orientation for a further involvement of the research centre in cross-cutting issues and aims of intervention into the discourse

Ecosystem Services – Eine Einführung

The Ecosystem Service approach has gained a lot of attention lately, as it interlinks ecosystems with the benefits humans derive from them. The Knowledge Flow paper at hand is giving a first overview of the Ecosystem Service approach. The paper focuses on the basic understanding of the concept and the definition of the term Ecosystem Services. It serves as a starting point for the development of a multiple classification system as a tool for ecosystem service inventories, assessment, and valuation studies. The paper briefly deals with the opportunities and challenges of an economic valuation of ecosystem services and provides the main research questions concerning an ecological assessment of ecosystems services

Population decline and infrastructure: The case of the German water supply system

The dynamic interaction between population and water is usually discussed in the context of development issues in Third World countries, but rarely analysed for northern, industrialised countries. Nevertheless, the improvement of a supply system’s ability to adapt to demographic changes poses challenges for industrialised countries as well, and generating knowledge for developing adequate solutions also implies new, intriguing tasks for demography. This article analyses the relationships between population decline and water infrastructure using Germany as a case study. After sketching the development of the debate on the correlation between population and problems of water supply, the most relevant demographic factors affecting the water infrastructure are described in general. The authors then identify the implications of demographic change for water demand and use on the one hand, and the resulting effects on technical networks and their economic basis on the other. Finally, approaches for solving the problems and possibilities for taking action are discussed

Für ein aktives Moratorium : Liberalisierung der Wasserwirtschaft

Unlängst hat der Umweltrat eine Lanze gebrochen für die Liberalisierung und Deregulierung der deutschen Wasserwirtschaft. Angesichts der ökologischen Bedeutung des Wasserbereichs ist jedoch zunächst ein Moratorium notwendig, um die zahlreichen ungelösten Probleme zu klären