Global management strategies water cycle

What are ways used to manage the global water cycle?

- Forestry

- Water allocations

- Drainage basin planning

How is forestry used to manage the global water cycle?

- The crucial role of forests in the global water cycle is recognised by multilateral agencies such as the United Nations and World Bank.

- The UN and WB together with other organisations and governments, fund programmes to protect tropical forests

Foresty - UNREDD

- The UN's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme and the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) fund over 50 partner countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and South America.

- Financial incentives to protect and restore forests are a combination of carbon offsets and direct funding.

- Brazil has received support from the UN, World Bank, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the German Development Bank to protect its forests.

Forestry - ARPA

- The Amazon Regional Protected Areas (ARPA) programme now covers nearly 10% of the Amazon Basin. Areas included in the programme are strictly protected.

- The benefits are significant: stabilising the regional water cycle; offsetting 430 million tonnes of carbon a year; supporting indigenous forest communities; promoting ecotourism; and protecting the genetic bank provided by thousands of plant species in the forests.

- Has an impact on the systems that take place

How are water allocations used to manage the global water cycle?

- In countries of water scarcity, governments have to make difficult decisions on the allocation of water resources.

- Agriculture is by far the biggest consumer. Globally it accounts for 70% of water withdrawals and 90% of consumption.

- Wastage of water occurs through evaporation and seepage through inefficient water management (e.g. over-irrigating crops).

Water allocation - improved techniques

- Improved management techniques which minimise water losses to evaporation include mulching, zero soil disturbance and drip irrigation.

- Losses to run-off on slopes can be reduced by terracing, contour ploughing and the insertion of vegetative strips.

How are water allocations used to manage the global water cycle (further)?

- Meanwhile, better water harvesting, with storage in ponds and reservoirs, provides farmers with extra water resources.

- Recovery and recycling of waste water from agriculture, industry and urban populations is technically feasible, but as yet little used outside the developed world.

Water allocation - semi-arid locations

- In semi-arid regions of water scarcity, such as the Lower Indus Valley in Pakistan, and the US Colorado Basin, water agreements divide up resources between downstream states.

- In Pakistan the Punjab and Sindh receive 92% of the Indus's flow; in the Colorado Basin water resources are allocated to California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico.

- In both regions, the vast bulk of water is used for irrigation.

How is drainage basin planning used to manage the global water cycle?

- The management of water resources is most effective at the drainage basin scale. At this scale it is feasible to adopt an integrated or holistic management approach to accommodate the often conflicting demands of different water users.

- Agriculture, industry, domestic use, wildlife habitats, biodiversity and so on.

- Specific targets for drainage basin planning include run-off, surface water storage and groundwater. Rapid run-off is controlled by reforestation programmes in upland catchments, reducing artificial drainage and extending permeable surfaces (e.g. gardens, green roofs) in urban areas.

Drainage basin planning - Surface water storage

- Surface water storage is improved by conserving and restoring wetlands, including temporary storage on floodplains. Groundwater levels are maintained by limiting abstraction (e.g. for public supply, faming and industry) and by artificial recharge, where water is injected into aquifers through boreholes.

Drainage basin planning - examples

- In England and Wales drainage basin management is well advanced. Under the EU's Water Directive Framework, ten river basin districts have been defined.

- The districts comprise major catchments, such as the Severn, Thames and Humber. Each district has its own River Basin Management Plan published jointly by the Environment Agency and Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

- The plan sets targets in relation to, for example, water quality, abstraction rates, groundwater levels, flood control, floodplain development and the status of habitats and wildlife.

How is drainage basin planning used to manage the global water cycle? (further)

- In England and Wales drainage basin management is well advanced. Under the EU's Water Directive Framework, ten river basin districts have been defined.

- The districts comprise major catchments, such as the Severn, Thames and Humber. Each district has its own River Basin Management Plan published jointly by the Environment Agency and Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

- The plan sets targets in relation to, for example, water quality, abstraction rates, groundwater levels, flood control, floodplain development and the status of habitats and wildlife.