In 2001, FAO launched a comprehensive inter-regional review of ongoing policies and experiences in integrated and participatory watershed management. Funded by the Governments of Italy, France and the Netherlands, the exercise was implemented in collaboration key regional expert centres, such as the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD, Kathmandu), the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF, Nairobi), the Latin American Watershed Management Network (RELACH) and the European Observatory on Mountain Forest (EOMG, Megève, France). The initiative was part of Agenda 21 Chapter 13 implementation and of the follow up of the International Years of Mountains (2002) and Freshwater (2003)
The broad objectives of FAO inter-regional watershed management review were to collect and disseminate information needed to assess the state-of-the-art of watershed management as implemented during the 1990s and to provide support and guidance to the future development of more effective watershed management projects and programmes. More specifically, the review aimed at
- identifying the nature and extent of current achievements and existing gaps in integrated and participatory watershed management;
- identifying lessons learned and principal issues emerging from the experiences of FAO and other relevant organizations;
- develop guidelines for the formulation and implementation of the next generation of watershed management projects/programmes.
The review was conceived as an opportunity for all concerned parties to share information and contribute to a better understanding of the status of watershed management, and as a means to strengthen donor and recipient awareness of the importance of effective watershed management at the local, national and regional levels. The review started through a consultation aimed at identifying key-stakeholders, topics to be discussed and outputs to be produced by the exercise. To this end, a questionnaire was sent to 30 regional organizations of the five continents to explore institutional perceptions of issues, lessons learned and gaps in integrated watershed management. Suggestions and recommendation for the further steps of the review exercise were also collected in this opportunity.
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Parallel to this exploration of the outside institutional environment, a stocktaking of in house experience was conducted, focusing on selected FAO-promoted experience of watershed management projects/programmes implemented during the 1990 to 2000 period. This process included reviewing project terminal and evaluation reports, proceedings of relevant seminars, conferences and workshops, personal and group consultations, and other information sources. This was followed by the implementation of two national case studies on Burundi (Koyo 2004) and Nepal (Lan Singh and others 2004) and two regional case-studies on Latin America (FAO 2004) and the Mediterranean Basin (Fé d'Ostiani 2004).
The third step was to organize a series of regional workshops to provide a forum for discussion among watershed management professionals, which were carried out in Megève, France (4 September 2002), Arequipa, Peru (15-17 June 2003), Kathmandu (11-13 September 2003), Nairobi (8-10 September 2003). Workshop agendas included both the presentation and discussion of selected experiences ongoing in the regions, as well as interactive group work sessions during which participants identified achievement, gaps, key-issues, lessons learned and recommendations for the future. An International Conference held in Porto Cervo-Sassari, Italy (22-24 October 2003) concluded the series of workshops. In this occasion, additional materials were presented and general conclusions drawn from regional workshops findings. Recommendations for policy makers were summarized in the Sassari Declaration (see box below)
Based on this process, a resource book for practitioners on integrated watershed management is currently under preparation. Publication of this document is due by March 2006. The publication is largely based on findings and recommendations of the above FAO inter-regional watershed management review. It aims at making some of the information that was produced or exchanged in the framework of that exercise available to the reader including information on some recent field projects, supported by FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme.
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Within the context of the Millennium Development Goals and with the intent of preparing for the next generation of watershed management, the objectives of this conference were to: 1) provide an adequate opportunity/platform to all concerned parties to share information and contribute to a better understanding of the current status of watershed management; and 2) provide advocacy and support for the implementation of effective watershed management at different levels.
- There is a need to focus increased global and regional attention on watershed management because watersheds integrate resources, environmental services, uses and users; watersheds connect people who may never meet and may vary greatly in terms of wealth, livelihoods and culture; good planning requires good understanding of linkages between upstream and downstream hydrologic and land-use systems; investments are long-term and generate benefits and costs across large distances; and interventions that are good for individuals or communities may be detrimental to wider societal interests.
- Outputs from the Sassari conference and the associated regional workshops should be used to develop a set of guidelines for the next generation of watershed management programmes that can be applied to the design and screening of new projects.
- Some of the key elements of the guidelines for the next generation of watershed management programmes include: a multisectoral approach; a combination of bottom-up and top-down planning, monitoring and evaluation; clear procedures for environmental impact assessment of interventions, including dams and reservoirs; networking among key stakeholders; consideration of socio-economic and cultural aspects and natural processes; gender balance in decision-making; embracing new approaches for sharing knowledge and learning; sustainable finance; compensation mechanisms; capacity building at all levels; reforming governance, linking surface, groundwater and coastal water sources; shift from looking at supply to demand of water; efficiency of water use; coping with hydrologic extremes and natural hazards; and the integrated management of water, vegetation, soils and sediments.
- Guidelines for the next generation of watershed management programmes should be tested and demonstrated in pilot cases, with planning and implementation from local, national and transnational scales. These pilot cases should include institutionalization of watershed approaches into national systems.
- Considering the need for integrated approaches to watershed management, it is recommended that donor agencies, financial institutions, government departments, civil society organizations and the private sector commit to long-term intersectoral and innovative planning, finance and execution of watershed management.
- Because watersheds often span political boundaries, watershed management should be seen as an integrative approach that has value in understanding and resolving conflicts between upstream and downstream communities and countries.
- Because rural and urban poverty is a significant contributing factor to watershed development and degradation, it is recommended that the multiple linkages between poverty and watershed management be better understood and considered in the planning of both watershed management and poverty alleviation programmes.
- It is recognized that there is an urgent need to build capacity of all stakeholders (including watershed inhabitants and professionals at the local and national levels) to understand and manage the multisectoral processes and approaches necessary for effective watershed management.
- At present, land and water governance institutions and policies are often inadequate to support the integrative and multisectoral approach needed to implement watershed management. It is therefore recommended that: 1) institutions for integrated basin management be established and strengthened with appropriate legal status, resources and financing; 2) there be more effective and equitable communication among local communities, managers and policy-makers; and 3) policies be based on clear evidence and tested principles.
- Access to a minimum amount of safe water should be recognized as a fundamental human right of all people.
- Considering that the management over land and water resources is highly fragmented at all levels, it is recommended that consideration be given to establishing an international forum that focuses on integrated watershed management, including land use and human activities that have an impact on water.
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