Asia-Pacific Water Forum

Review of the Status and Use of Environmental Flows in the Asia-Pacific Region

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are the lead organizations for Theme C: Water For Development and Ecosystems of the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit.

The main focus under Theme C will be to review key issues related to water for development and ecosystems including the drivers and status of degradation and main issues related to restoration.

The IUCN has identified a specific interest in reviewing the status and use of the environmental flows approach in the Asia-Pacific region including a needs assessment of on-going processes and tools, due to its active efforts in the development and implementation of this approach within wetland and water policy and management across the world. In particular we are interested in the application of e-flows and its inclusion in policy across the Asia-Pacific region.

Environmental flows (or e-flows) generally refers to water provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to maintain ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing water uses. Environmental flows provide critical contributions to river health, economic development and poverty alleviation. They ensure the continued availability of the many benefits that healthy river and groundwater systems bring to society.

To assist in the review of environmental flows a survey on the status and use of environmental flows has been prepared for completion by policy makers and practitioners of water management in the region. The survey attempts to capture information on the current status and use of environmental flows across the Asia-Pacific region from the western highlands of the Himalayan plateau to the low-lying atolls of the central Pacific, and from the northern steppes of Mongolia to the southern coast of Australia and New Zealand.

This is an opportunity to share your story and experiences with the e-flows approach within this diverse region. It is, however, as equally important that we also receive responses from areas where the concept is not recognized or applied, so we can build a picture of where there are gaps, why these gaps are there, where more effort is required, and where this concept may not be considered applicable or valid and understand the reasons for this.

If you work in the area of e-flows, or more broadly water management, within the Asia-Pacific Region and would like to complete a survey please download here: Survey of the status and use of e-flows in the Asia-Pacific Region.

We are especially interested in feedback from areas that have not historically used e-flows but may now be in the process of considering the use and adoption of the approach (for example, parts of North-East Asia, Central Asia, Pacific Islands, etc). Additionally, we may not be aware of certain activities happening within the region and are eager to hear your stories and experiences.

Please return the completed survey to environmentalflows@iucnlao.org by 28 May 2007 to enable our team to begin analysis of the information for incorporation into the overall review of e-flows.

This will assist greatly in forming policy recommendations for discussion of e-flows at the First Asia-Pacific Water Summit, and ultimately the future direction of the approach within the Asia-Pacific region.

We will continue to update you on the progress of the review and look forward to your continued input into discussions as the review progresses.