Asia-Pacific Water Forum

Concept Note

This is the concept note for Theme C: Water for Development and Ecosystems 1. Rationale/Background Healthy aquatic ecosystems provide tangible economic and social benefits. Protecting zones at the land-water interface such as mangroves, paddy fields, wetlands, forests not only increase ecosystem health, but may also provide extra protection against some disasters and saline intrusion, aide groundwater recharge and improve overall quality of life. Understanding the drivers and status of ecosystem degradation and the need for watershed restoration in order to improve water productivity across the Asia-Pacific region is an important component of this theme. Another key element to this theme is the concept of environmental flows which refer to water provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to main ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing water uses. In most river basins the natural flows have been modified to some extent, to meet the needs of human settlement, irrigation, and flood control or energy generation. Over the last decade, with intensifying water competition among different users and uses in this region, more and more emphasis has been placed on sustainable water development and utilization. IWRM at the river basin level has been identified as a guiding principle. Various measures have been practiced and adopted by different players, including advocacy and dissemination of environment flow concepts; protection of aquatic ecosystems through wetland protection, paddy field conservation, watershed restoration and reforestation, etc. In economic areas, efforts have been focused on improvement of water use efficiency and productivity; water pollution mitigation and prevention; and establishment of a water-efficient society. As the largest water user, the agricultural sector has been preparing to go through a sector innovation to replace traditional irrigation concepts and technologies with irrigation modernization. There is still much to be done in river basins across the Asia-Pacific Region as water stress continues to spread; and land and water degradation is emerging in many developing areas. Among other reasons, experts believe that there is a lack of integration of action from relevant stakeholders; a lack of practical methods and tools to put the new concepts and approaches into real practice. There is a need to review current adoption and implementation of the key concepts and approaches on water for development and ecosystem; analyze the challenges and opportunities on incorporating them into IWRM at the river basin scale; develop technical methods and tools; and identify policy and institutional options to better realize and improve IWRM. The work under Priority Theme C of APWF will review relevant status and success stories, prepare a synthesis of key messages along with policy recommendations, seek commitments among government leaders and partner organizations to move forward a water agenda for the Asia-Pacific region.

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