The Experts below are selected from a list of 23640 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
I. Zsuffa - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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WETwin: A structured approach to evaluating Wetland Management options in data-poor contexts
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: Robyn M. Johnston, Jan Cools, Stefan Liersch, S. Morardet, C. Murgue, Marie Mahieu, I. Zsuffa, G. P. UyttendaeleAbstract:This special issue of Environmental Science and Policy presents the outcomes of the WETwin project (Enhancing the role of Wetlands in integrated water resources Management for twinned river basins in EU, Africa and South-America in support of EU Water Initiatives), an international research project funded by the FP7 programme of the European Commission. The project aimed to improve Wetland Management by maximizing benefits from Wetland use while maintaining ecological health, using case studies from Europe, Africa and South America. In much of the less developed world, data on Wetland functions, processes and values are scarce even while Wetlands often provide a critical component of livelihoods. Management decisions on balancing competing demands for Wetland use must often be made in the absence of comprehensive information. This paper introduces the approach developed and tested under WETwin to evaluate Wetland Management structures and solutions in data-poor contexts, summarizing a conceptual framework which has evolved from seven very diverse case studies. A structured, modular approach was devised which combined multi-criteria analysis, trade-off analysis and vulnerability analysis, drawing on best available information, including quantitative modelling, qualitative 'expert opinion', and local stakeholders' knowledge and values. The approach used in WETwin has three important strengths: it involves stakeholders at all stages of the decision process, it combines qualitative and quantitative data (and therefore allows inclusion of poorly known and potentially important system components) and finally, it provides a relatively simple and structured approach to evaluate Wetland Management interventions and integrate impact, feasibility and institutional assessments, vulnerability analysis and trade-off analysis. The overall conceptual framework developed for WETwin was found to be robust and transferable to different contexts
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Tools for Wetland Management: Lessons learnt from a comparative assessment
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: Jan Cools, Robyn M. Johnston, Fred F. Hattermann, Wim Douven, I. ZsuffaAbstract:This paper provides the synthesis of the special issue on the “role of Wetlands in river basin Management” and reviews lessons learnt from a comparative assessment of the presented case studies in Europe, Africa and Latin-America. Although Wetlands are important for local communities and biodiversity, the services and products they deliver for local livelihoods and river basins are insufficiently known, and inadequately valued and understood by authorities. Wetlands are too often perceived as standalone elements and poorly integrated into river basin Management plans. In this volume, an analytical framework is developed to formulate and compare Wetland Management options, also in data-poor contexts and to bridge the gap between science and policy. The framework is a set of tools and processes to structure the information flows needed to identify and score Management options in terms of their impact, feasibility, vulnerability to future changes and trade-offs. In practice, it was found that the framework provided a useful set of tools to promote understanding and underpin negotiations. The major barrier for a better integration of Wetlands in river basin Management was found to be the lack of understanding of what the important issues were and the institutional capacity to organise cooperation and consequent implementation of the agreed plans. This paper presents the following conclusions. Firstly, rapid assessment tools and simplified scoring methods were used and proved useful in explaining issues across sectors and scales, and were important in creating mutual understanding, even though they did not necessarily present new insights for local or disciplinary experts. Secondly, in order to improve the knowledge base, an integrated database is developed, especially with regard to water quantity simulation at the river basin scale and Wetland scale, potential habitat availability and the quantification of adaptive and institutional capacity, including the impact of future changes. Data has been compiled from various, scattered sources, including global data sets, sectoral Wetland and/or river basin-specific quantitative and qualitative data sets. Thirdly, in case of limited data availability, rather than improving the accuracy of available quantitative data, it is proposed to better use alternative qualitative sources of data, from local experts, authority representatives and Wetland users
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Devising a decision support framework
2013Co-Authors: I. Zsuffa, R. Johnston, J. Cools, Sylvie MorardetAbstract:This factsheet presents le decision support framework developped by the WETwin project for Wetland Management. The factsheet mentions the frameworks that inspired it, then presents its main steps before illustrating some tools developped for its implementation. Examples of implementation or details on specific aspects of the approach are detailed in other factsheets.
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Analysis of institutional capacity in Wetland Management and IWRM in the Gemenc, Ga-Mampa and Nabajjuzi & Namatala Wetlands
2012Co-Authors: E. Ostrovskaya, I. Zsuffa, W. Douven, K. Schwartz, P. Mukuyu, B. Pataki, R. Johnston, R. Kaggwa, S. Namaalwa, Sylvie MorardetAbstract:WETwin is a research project supported by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Program. Its overall objective is to enhance the role of Wetlands in basin-scale Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), with the aim of improving the community service functions while conserving good ecological status. This report presents the results of the analysis of the institutional capacity to implement IWRM and existing guidelines in selected case study sites of the WETwin project (Gemenc (Hungary), Ga-Mampa (South Africa), Nabajjuzi and Namatala (Uganda)). It includes: i) a presentation of the conceptual approach used to analyze institutional capacity in case studies, in particular, the main concepts and definitions of institutional capacity and its links to performance of the Wetland Management institutions; ii) a description of the methodology used for the analysis of four case studies; iii) the detailed assessment of the components of institutional capacity using the cross-case comparison method, as well as a discussion of the major findings of the application of the methodology in the case studies; and iv) a summary of all the lessons learnt during this exercise and recommendations for improvements of the institutional capacity in the case study areas and in Wetland Management in general.
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Guidance for the application of vulnerability assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis in integrated Wetland Management
2012Co-Authors: I. Zsuffa, Sylvie Morardet, R. Johnston, J. Cools, S. Liersch, T. D'haeyer, F. Hattermann, B. Kone, M. DialloAbstract:WETwin is a research project supported by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Program. Its overall objective is to enhance the role of Wetlands in basin-scale Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), with the aim of improving the community service functions while conserving good ecological status. This report aims to be a guideline supporting the integrated and adaptive Management of Wetlands. This guideline is embedded into a Conceptual Framework, which is introduced in Chapter 2. Further, the guideline consists of two main parts: Vulnerability Assessment (VA) in Chapter 3, and Multi-Criteria decision Analysis (MCA) in Chapter 4. The descriptions of these methodologies are illustrated by examples from the WETwin case studies. Also, references have been incorporated into the texts with regard to relevant publications and to other WETwin project reports. In this way, the guideline covers all relevant outcomes and results of WETwin, and it also works as a meta-document for the most important deliverables of the project. Chapter 5 at the end of the report draws conclusions and gives recommendations for the joint use of VA and MCA. The targeted users of this guideline are professionals, who are in charge of elaborating Wetland Management plans.
Jan Cools - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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WETwin: A structured approach to evaluating Wetland Management options in data-poor contexts
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: Robyn M. Johnston, Jan Cools, Stefan Liersch, S. Morardet, C. Murgue, Marie Mahieu, I. Zsuffa, G. P. UyttendaeleAbstract:This special issue of Environmental Science and Policy presents the outcomes of the WETwin project (Enhancing the role of Wetlands in integrated water resources Management for twinned river basins in EU, Africa and South-America in support of EU Water Initiatives), an international research project funded by the FP7 programme of the European Commission. The project aimed to improve Wetland Management by maximizing benefits from Wetland use while maintaining ecological health, using case studies from Europe, Africa and South America. In much of the less developed world, data on Wetland functions, processes and values are scarce even while Wetlands often provide a critical component of livelihoods. Management decisions on balancing competing demands for Wetland use must often be made in the absence of comprehensive information. This paper introduces the approach developed and tested under WETwin to evaluate Wetland Management structures and solutions in data-poor contexts, summarizing a conceptual framework which has evolved from seven very diverse case studies. A structured, modular approach was devised which combined multi-criteria analysis, trade-off analysis and vulnerability analysis, drawing on best available information, including quantitative modelling, qualitative 'expert opinion', and local stakeholders' knowledge and values. The approach used in WETwin has three important strengths: it involves stakeholders at all stages of the decision process, it combines qualitative and quantitative data (and therefore allows inclusion of poorly known and potentially important system components) and finally, it provides a relatively simple and structured approach to evaluate Wetland Management interventions and integrate impact, feasibility and institutional assessments, vulnerability analysis and trade-off analysis. The overall conceptual framework developed for WETwin was found to be robust and transferable to different contexts
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Integrating human health into Wetland Management for the Inner Niger Delta, Mali
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: Jan Cools, Stefan Liersch, Mori Diallo, Eline Boelee, Dries Coertjens, Véronique Vandenberghe, Bakary KoneAbstract:Abstract Livelihood and water-related diseases are strongly linked to Wetland Management. The majority of Wetland stakeholders in the Inner Niger Delta, Mali considered human health and sanitation the most important criteria of a list of challenges and water-related pressures. Yet, a methodology to integrate health risks and opportunities into Wetland Management plans has previously not been proposed, despite the clear links and substantial real-life challenges. In this paper, a framework is presented to do this in data-poor context structured around the process to evaluate and prioritise the appropriateness of Management options to improve human health. In the data-poor context of the Inner Niger Delta, the selection of criteria and indicators, and the scoring of Management options against these criteria and indicators has been done by a panel of stakeholders. Criteria were chosen to reflect the often difficult conditions in which Management options need to be implemented and thus focused on the effectiveness and feasibility of Management options to reduce the disease burden and the two major pathways for environmental disease transmission, namely contaminated water (pathogens) and stagnant water (parasites and organisms that can transmit them) at three Wetland scales: urban areas, urban Wetland and rural Wetland. The feasibility for the sustainable implementation of a Management option refers to the required institutional capacity and is scored by means of the concept of “adaptive capacity”. The presented framework uses rapid assessment tools and simplified scoring methods and proved useful in explaining issues across sectors and scales, to promote mutual understanding and to achieve an integrated assessment of the appropriateness of Management options.
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Tools for Wetland Management: Lessons learnt from a comparative assessment
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: Jan Cools, Robyn M. Johnston, Fred F. Hattermann, Wim Douven, I. ZsuffaAbstract:This paper provides the synthesis of the special issue on the “role of Wetlands in river basin Management” and reviews lessons learnt from a comparative assessment of the presented case studies in Europe, Africa and Latin-America. Although Wetlands are important for local communities and biodiversity, the services and products they deliver for local livelihoods and river basins are insufficiently known, and inadequately valued and understood by authorities. Wetlands are too often perceived as standalone elements and poorly integrated into river basin Management plans. In this volume, an analytical framework is developed to formulate and compare Wetland Management options, also in data-poor contexts and to bridge the gap between science and policy. The framework is a set of tools and processes to structure the information flows needed to identify and score Management options in terms of their impact, feasibility, vulnerability to future changes and trade-offs. In practice, it was found that the framework provided a useful set of tools to promote understanding and underpin negotiations. The major barrier for a better integration of Wetlands in river basin Management was found to be the lack of understanding of what the important issues were and the institutional capacity to organise cooperation and consequent implementation of the agreed plans. This paper presents the following conclusions. Firstly, rapid assessment tools and simplified scoring methods were used and proved useful in explaining issues across sectors and scales, and were important in creating mutual understanding, even though they did not necessarily present new insights for local or disciplinary experts. Secondly, in order to improve the knowledge base, an integrated database is developed, especially with regard to water quantity simulation at the river basin scale and Wetland scale, potential habitat availability and the quantification of adaptive and institutional capacity, including the impact of future changes. Data has been compiled from various, scattered sources, including global data sets, sectoral Wetland and/or river basin-specific quantitative and qualitative data sets. Thirdly, in case of limited data availability, rather than improving the accuracy of available quantitative data, it is proposed to better use alternative qualitative sources of data, from local experts, authority representatives and Wetland users
Sylvie Morardet - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Devising a decision support framework
2013Co-Authors: I. Zsuffa, R. Johnston, J. Cools, Sylvie MorardetAbstract:This factsheet presents le decision support framework developped by the WETwin project for Wetland Management. The factsheet mentions the frameworks that inspired it, then presents its main steps before illustrating some tools developped for its implementation. Examples of implementation or details on specific aspects of the approach are detailed in other factsheets.
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WETwin Factsheet 10. Case study: Ga-Mampa Wetland, South Africa
2013Co-Authors: Sylvie Morardet, R. JohnstonAbstract:This factsheet presents one of the case studies of the WETwin project : the Ga-Mampa Wetland in South Africa. After a short description of the physical environment and main stakeholders, the factsheet gives the main results of the participatory multi-criteria analysis of the Wetland Management solutions, conducted with the stakeholders.
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Wet-WAG, a role-playing game to support stakeholder dialogue on Wetland Management
2012Co-Authors: Sylvie Morardet, F. Milhau, Clément Murgue, N. Ferrand, G. Abrami, A. PopovaAbstract:The Ga-Mampa Wetland, like many small scale Wetlands in Southern Africa is threatened by human activity. In the last ten years, due to agriculture pressure, the natural vegetation has decreased to occupy less than 20% of the Wetland area. Moreover, the agricultural practices are harmful for the Wetland health and are degrading the soil organic matter. The Wet-WAG role-playing game created by Irstea under the WETwin European project aims at providing the basis for discussions among stakeholders, and raising their awareness on Wetland Management stakes. After a brief presentation of the case-study and a literature review on the use of role-playing games for natural resources Management, the report describes the game development process. Wet-WAG is based on the generic platform WAG, developed by Cemagref (now Irstea) and Cirad for the participative Management of water resources at catchment level. Existing research reports on the case study were used to calibrate the game. Several methods were mobilized to integrate inputs from the widest range of stakeholders (focus group discussions in Ga-Mampa, and interviews of provincial government representatives). Several testing sessions were organised with researchers, students and local farmers. The report then describes the elements of the game (board, role cards, activity cards, monitoring sheets) and relates a typical game session. Improvements brought to the initial version of the game are detailed. The use of Wet-WAG infor the participatory assessment of Wetland Management solutions is described and main outcomes presented. Directions for further improvements and recommendations for future use of the game and adaptations to other case studies are suggested in conclusion.
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Analysis of institutional capacity in Wetland Management and IWRM in the Gemenc, Ga-Mampa and Nabajjuzi & Namatala Wetlands
2012Co-Authors: E. Ostrovskaya, I. Zsuffa, W. Douven, K. Schwartz, P. Mukuyu, B. Pataki, R. Johnston, R. Kaggwa, S. Namaalwa, Sylvie MorardetAbstract:WETwin is a research project supported by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Program. Its overall objective is to enhance the role of Wetlands in basin-scale Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), with the aim of improving the community service functions while conserving good ecological status. This report presents the results of the analysis of the institutional capacity to implement IWRM and existing guidelines in selected case study sites of the WETwin project (Gemenc (Hungary), Ga-Mampa (South Africa), Nabajjuzi and Namatala (Uganda)). It includes: i) a presentation of the conceptual approach used to analyze institutional capacity in case studies, in particular, the main concepts and definitions of institutional capacity and its links to performance of the Wetland Management institutions; ii) a description of the methodology used for the analysis of four case studies; iii) the detailed assessment of the components of institutional capacity using the cross-case comparison method, as well as a discussion of the major findings of the application of the methodology in the case studies; and iv) a summary of all the lessons learnt during this exercise and recommendations for improvements of the institutional capacity in the case study areas and in Wetland Management in general.
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Guidance for the application of vulnerability assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis in integrated Wetland Management
2012Co-Authors: I. Zsuffa, Sylvie Morardet, R. Johnston, J. Cools, S. Liersch, T. D'haeyer, F. Hattermann, B. Kone, M. DialloAbstract:WETwin is a research project supported by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Program. Its overall objective is to enhance the role of Wetlands in basin-scale Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), with the aim of improving the community service functions while conserving good ecological status. This report aims to be a guideline supporting the integrated and adaptive Management of Wetlands. This guideline is embedded into a Conceptual Framework, which is introduced in Chapter 2. Further, the guideline consists of two main parts: Vulnerability Assessment (VA) in Chapter 3, and Multi-Criteria decision Analysis (MCA) in Chapter 4. The descriptions of these methodologies are illustrated by examples from the WETwin case studies. Also, references have been incorporated into the texts with regard to relevant publications and to other WETwin project reports. In this way, the guideline covers all relevant outcomes and results of WETwin, and it also works as a meta-document for the most important deliverables of the project. Chapter 5 at the end of the report draws conclusions and gives recommendations for the joint use of VA and MCA. The targeted users of this guideline are professionals, who are in charge of elaborating Wetland Management plans.
Robyn M. Johnston - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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WETwin: A structured approach to evaluating Wetland Management options in data-poor contexts
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: Robyn M. Johnston, Jan Cools, Stefan Liersch, S. Morardet, C. Murgue, Marie Mahieu, I. Zsuffa, G. P. UyttendaeleAbstract:This special issue of Environmental Science and Policy presents the outcomes of the WETwin project (Enhancing the role of Wetlands in integrated water resources Management for twinned river basins in EU, Africa and South-America in support of EU Water Initiatives), an international research project funded by the FP7 programme of the European Commission. The project aimed to improve Wetland Management by maximizing benefits from Wetland use while maintaining ecological health, using case studies from Europe, Africa and South America. In much of the less developed world, data on Wetland functions, processes and values are scarce even while Wetlands often provide a critical component of livelihoods. Management decisions on balancing competing demands for Wetland use must often be made in the absence of comprehensive information. This paper introduces the approach developed and tested under WETwin to evaluate Wetland Management structures and solutions in data-poor contexts, summarizing a conceptual framework which has evolved from seven very diverse case studies. A structured, modular approach was devised which combined multi-criteria analysis, trade-off analysis and vulnerability analysis, drawing on best available information, including quantitative modelling, qualitative 'expert opinion', and local stakeholders' knowledge and values. The approach used in WETwin has three important strengths: it involves stakeholders at all stages of the decision process, it combines qualitative and quantitative data (and therefore allows inclusion of poorly known and potentially important system components) and finally, it provides a relatively simple and structured approach to evaluate Wetland Management interventions and integrate impact, feasibility and institutional assessments, vulnerability analysis and trade-off analysis. The overall conceptual framework developed for WETwin was found to be robust and transferable to different contexts
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Tools for Wetland Management: Lessons learnt from a comparative assessment
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: Jan Cools, Robyn M. Johnston, Fred F. Hattermann, Wim Douven, I. ZsuffaAbstract:This paper provides the synthesis of the special issue on the “role of Wetlands in river basin Management” and reviews lessons learnt from a comparative assessment of the presented case studies in Europe, Africa and Latin-America. Although Wetlands are important for local communities and biodiversity, the services and products they deliver for local livelihoods and river basins are insufficiently known, and inadequately valued and understood by authorities. Wetlands are too often perceived as standalone elements and poorly integrated into river basin Management plans. In this volume, an analytical framework is developed to formulate and compare Wetland Management options, also in data-poor contexts and to bridge the gap between science and policy. The framework is a set of tools and processes to structure the information flows needed to identify and score Management options in terms of their impact, feasibility, vulnerability to future changes and trade-offs. In practice, it was found that the framework provided a useful set of tools to promote understanding and underpin negotiations. The major barrier for a better integration of Wetlands in river basin Management was found to be the lack of understanding of what the important issues were and the institutional capacity to organise cooperation and consequent implementation of the agreed plans. This paper presents the following conclusions. Firstly, rapid assessment tools and simplified scoring methods were used and proved useful in explaining issues across sectors and scales, and were important in creating mutual understanding, even though they did not necessarily present new insights for local or disciplinary experts. Secondly, in order to improve the knowledge base, an integrated database is developed, especially with regard to water quantity simulation at the river basin scale and Wetland scale, potential habitat availability and the quantification of adaptive and institutional capacity, including the impact of future changes. Data has been compiled from various, scattered sources, including global data sets, sectoral Wetland and/or river basin-specific quantitative and qualitative data sets. Thirdly, in case of limited data availability, rather than improving the accuracy of available quantitative data, it is proposed to better use alternative qualitative sources of data, from local experts, authority representatives and Wetland users
Wim Douven - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Tools for Wetland Management: Lessons learnt from a comparative assessment
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: Jan Cools, Robyn M. Johnston, Fred F. Hattermann, Wim Douven, I. ZsuffaAbstract:This paper provides the synthesis of the special issue on the “role of Wetlands in river basin Management” and reviews lessons learnt from a comparative assessment of the presented case studies in Europe, Africa and Latin-America. Although Wetlands are important for local communities and biodiversity, the services and products they deliver for local livelihoods and river basins are insufficiently known, and inadequately valued and understood by authorities. Wetlands are too often perceived as standalone elements and poorly integrated into river basin Management plans. In this volume, an analytical framework is developed to formulate and compare Wetland Management options, also in data-poor contexts and to bridge the gap between science and policy. The framework is a set of tools and processes to structure the information flows needed to identify and score Management options in terms of their impact, feasibility, vulnerability to future changes and trade-offs. In practice, it was found that the framework provided a useful set of tools to promote understanding and underpin negotiations. The major barrier for a better integration of Wetlands in river basin Management was found to be the lack of understanding of what the important issues were and the institutional capacity to organise cooperation and consequent implementation of the agreed plans. This paper presents the following conclusions. Firstly, rapid assessment tools and simplified scoring methods were used and proved useful in explaining issues across sectors and scales, and were important in creating mutual understanding, even though they did not necessarily present new insights for local or disciplinary experts. Secondly, in order to improve the knowledge base, an integrated database is developed, especially with regard to water quantity simulation at the river basin scale and Wetland scale, potential habitat availability and the quantification of adaptive and institutional capacity, including the impact of future changes. Data has been compiled from various, scattered sources, including global data sets, sectoral Wetland and/or river basin-specific quantitative and qualitative data sets. Thirdly, in case of limited data availability, rather than improving the accuracy of available quantitative data, it is proposed to better use alternative qualitative sources of data, from local experts, authority representatives and Wetland users
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Capacity for sustainable Management of Wetlands: Lessons from the WETwin project
Environmental Science & Policy, 2013Co-Authors: E. Ostrovskaya, P. Mukuyu, B. Pataki, Wim Douven, Klaas Schwartz, R.c. KaggwaAbstract:The paper discusses the application of a method to analyze the capacity for Management of Wetland resources. The method consists of a framework with a set of indicators to analyze the presence and effectiveness of formal regulations and procedures, and relevant informal mechanisms for Wetland Management. The set of indicators is designed based on internationally recognized objectives and ‘good practices’ for Wetland Management given in the Ramsar Convention guidelines. The guidelines advise on which policies and authorities should be in place, and which actions should be taken in order to use Wetland resources sustainably. Evaluation is seen as ‘measuring’ the closeness between the real Wetland Management system and recommendations given in the guidelines. In the current study, experts were asked to categorize developed indicators for three cases into three classes (high, medium and low capacity). Analysis of these case studies indicates that overall capacity for Wetland Management is insufficient in Gemenc floodplain (Hungary) and Ga-Mampa Wetland (South Africa), and highly insufficient in Nabajjuzi and Namatala Wetlands (Uganda). The capacities in these Wetland sites are strongest at the policy level and weakest at local level, where policies are to be implemented. In these locations there is a mix of new formal legislation and procedures, having been put in place recently, and informal instruments and planning/Management practices from the past, which are still used by Wetland managers and stakeholders. Capacity of the Wetland Management systems to deal with changes such as climate change appeared to be limited. Thus, all the studied Wetland sites require an improved capacity as an integral part of Wetland Management. It is recommended that the Wetland managers select future actions that consider a gradual approach that accounts for their capabilities and local institutions. Such an approach can result in a progressive strengthening of actions over time with the overall objective to bring the Wetland degradation to a halt.
