Topic 3.3 Wrap-up – Putting nature first: How to install Topic 3.3 Wrap-up – Putting nature first: How to install

change to ensure water and environmental security?change to ensure water and environmental security?

Convening Organizations: Convening Organizations: Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food QualityDutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality

Mathieu PinkersMathieu Pinkers

Alterra / Wageningen University and Research CentreAlterra / Wageningen University and Research CentreWim CofinoWim Cofino

Presentation of Presentation of Draft Topic 3.3 ResolutionDraft Topic 3.3 Resolution

Preserving Natural Ecosystems:

Ecosystems for Water and Life

Ecosystems for Water, Water for People, Ecosystems for Water, Water for People, Ecosystems for PeopleEcosystems for People

Session 3.3.1.1 – Changing Paradigm: From “Water for Nature” to “Nature for Water”

Convening Organizations: Swiss Federal Office for the Environment

Sibylle VermontUNECE

Sonja KoeppelFrancesca Bernardini

Spreading the Wealth: How to Share the Benefits of Nature?

Session 3.3.2.1 – Balancing Competing Water Needs Across Sectors

Convening Organizations: International Union for Conservation of Nature

Mark SmithKatharine Cross

Dutch Province of Noord BrabantFrank Wagemans

Session 3.3.3 – Acting Locally, Thinking Globally: What

Actions Help Preserve Ecosystems?

Convening Organizations: Ramsar Convention

Nicholas Davidson

Wetlands InternationalRitesh Kumar

Full fledged interaction with hosted round table discussions and messaging system

• Participants on hosted discussion tables• Audience messaging their individual thoughts and

opinions on handset to a central hub as underpinning

• Wrap up with voting on draft resolution texts and

comments from high level panel

12 hours intensive debate

• All issues commonly discussed were addressed– Need for IWRM– Need for good governance– Stakeholder participation– Integrated natural resource management in river

basin management– …..

• Issues raised will be incorporated in report• Examples of results:

4.3

Resolution session 3.3.1Paradigm shift ecosystems for water, water for

people, ecosystems for people

Terrestrial ecosystems fulfill essential functions in the water cycle and provide ecosystem services of great benefit for water management. Realization of these benefits requires pro-active coordination of land- and water management. Sustainable utilization of ecosystem services may represent a cost-effective strategy with multiple benefits for land, water and climate compared with investments in structural measures. Cost-effectiveness is achieved in particular when several sectors recognize the benefits so that the investments can be shared. Payment for ecosystem services can be an important incentive and instrument to achieve the land- and ecosystem management practices desired.

3.6

Resolution session 3.3.2Spreading the wealth: How to share the benefits of

nature?

Water for socio-economic development, and in particular poverty reduction, needs healthy rivers and requires action to encourage application of environmental flows in development, including: (i) employing multidisciplinary teams within water resources management agencies; (ii) using environmental flow indicators within countries' work to alleviate poverty (eg PRSPs); (iii) developing financial mechanisms which take environmental requirements into account; and (iv) enforcement of legislation through building water governance capacity

4.2

Resolution session 3.3.3 Acting Locally, Thinking Globally

To redress the current skewing towards provisioning services at the cost of other ecosystem services, local institutions urgently need to be strengthened and have increased capacity to address the complexities of (re-balancing) ecosystem services exploitation

Main messages

• The security of all our businesses (food, water, energy, industry) depends on maintaining natural systems (our natural water infrastructure) that provide and manage water resources and other benefits.

• Many local communities depend on ecosystems for survival

• There is an urgent need to work collaboratively on land, coastal and water management for future sustainable development

• Sharing knowledge and experience will let all make better decisions

12

3.6

Resolution part 2b Spreading the wealth: How to share the benefits of nature?

Water for socio-economic development, and in particular poverty reduction, needs healthy rivers and requires action to encourage application of environmental flows in development, including: (i) employing multidisciplinary teams within water resources management agencies; (ii) using environmental flow indicators within countries' work to alleviate poverty (eg PRSPs); (iii) developing financial mechanisms which take environmental requirements into account; and (iv) enforcement of legislation through building water governance capacity

Thank-you for your participation

Session 3.3.3

Preserving Natural EcosystemsEcosystems for Water and Life Topic 3.3 of the Fifth World Water Forum Istanbul, 16-21 March 2009