Short overview of the outcomes from the SWG5 session at the ESP EU 2018 in San Sebastian, Spain: S5 – “Promoting sustainability through water-related concepts, approaches and tools for quantifying ES”. The session provided diversity of perspectives related to water resources, their quantification and sustainable management. There is huge resource of complex quantitative water related research with high potential for applications in sustainable decision-making. Nevertheless, the communication of results to stakeholders was identified as a key challenge and scientists are divided between two main strategies:
- Simplification of methods/models with prioritization of objectives and results that are of interest to the stakeholders;
or
- Change communication strategy – involve stakeholders from the beginning, don’t bore them with complex methods explanations: keep the models complex, make the results ‘sexy’.
Furthermore, the under-representation of more alternative water resource in water management was also highlighted, including impermanent inland water bodies for irrigation and biodiversity, geothermal groundwater resources for renewable energy production and the role of white spaces (snow and ice) for the supply of multiple cultural and regulating services. For more information, check the session materials.
The WG is planning the organisation of a session on sustainable water policy and management during the 10th ESP World Conference 2019 in Hannover, Germany. We are also working on the organisation of a special issue, based on the contributions from previous session and the WG general objectives. More information will be available in the following ESP Updates.
If you are interested to become a member of the working group, please fill the membership form. You can find more information about the working group, its objectives and activities here.