The Conservation and Sustainable Use of Freshwater ... - IUCN

Summary
The IUCN-WESCANA Water Publication – The Conservation and Sustainable
Use Of Freshwater Resources in West Asia, Central Asia and North Africa - is
the first publication of the IUCN-WESCANA Office, Amman-Jordan. It is to
be launched during the World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Bangkok,
November 17-25, 2005. The rationale of the IUCN-WESCANA Water
Publication is to contribute and share knowledge about conservation and water
management.
This rationale is in line with the IUCN
Framework for Action as outlined in
the Vision for Water and Nature. This
framework proposes six goals to achieve
sustainable water management. Specifically,
societies and individuals must choose to:
• Care for the planet’s ecosystems by respecting,
conserving and restoring the planet’s freshwater
resources;
• Adopt an ecosystem-based approach within river
basins for sustainable water resources management.
• Empower people to establish participatory, equitable
and responsible water use;
• Create political will and good governance to facilitate
wise water use and prevent water conflicts;
• Raise awareness and strengthen capacity to
change human behaviour to reduce water consumption
and waste and protect ecosystems;
• Develop and share knowledge and technology to
improve water resources management.
This IUCN-WESCANA Water Publication
sought to bring into focus some of the many issues
related to the conservation and sustainable use
of freshwater resources across the WESCANA
region. This publication includes 6 technical
papers prepared by specialists representing each
of WESCANA’s four sub-regions (the Arabian
Peninsula, Mid-west Asia, North Africa and
Central Asia). The papers addressed water issues
from the viewpoint of the four themes of the World
Conservation Congress:
• Ecosystem Management: Bridging sustainability
and productivity
• Health, Poverty and Conservation: Responding to
the challenge of human well being
• Biodiversity Loss and Species Extinction: Managing
risk in a changing world
• Markets, Business and Environment: Strengthening
corporate social responsibility, law and policy.
Specifically, the first paper by Niazi analyzed
the main stakeholders contributing to biodiversity
conservation of wetlands in Iran. He assessed the
demand of indigenous people for the freshwater
resources and their role in preservation and conservation
of the wetland ecosystem.
Majeed reviewed economic or market based
instruments in conservation. He argued that these
instruments affect the relative prices (costs and
benefits) of alternative actions, creating markets
for natural resources and the environment, these
instruments can signal true resource scarcities
to users creating economic incentives for wiser
management.
Rais addressed the question of carrying capacity
and sustainable fishing. The basic question he
addressed is: Can the living resources of the inland
waters in North Africa be exploited in a sustainable
manner? The paper concluded by identifying
the constraints on sustainable management of
ecosystems. Special reference was paid to the risk
of the introduction of invasive species.
Addressing the issues in Central Asia, Dukhovny
et al. showed the linkages between environment
and socio-economic aspects. They documented
the root causes and effects of environmental
deterioration in the Aral Sea. Moreover, Elena et
al. documented the extent of biodiversity loss in the
Aral Sea Basin due to man-made developments.
Finally, Al-Jayyousi argued that the WESCANA
region represents a critical mass and a logical unit
of analysis for water assessment and management.
Complementarities among nation-states in water,
food, and trade represent comparative advantages
for each nation-state. Ecological and political
borders rarely coincide. Few serious environmental
problems can be solved within the framework
of the nation state. The fact that regional
management programs exist and persist, in spite of
nationalist rivalries, shows the imperative need for
environmental cooperation. To achieve sustainable
water management within a river basin, there is
a need for a linkage between international law
principles and hydrological considerations.
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