The Adaptive Watershed

The Adaptive Watershed is a guide for a three-day training program developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). It is designed for local decision-makers in land and water management, climate adaptation, and gender equity to build capacity for inclusive, ecosystem-based, and adaptive watershed management.

• The training program is structured around three primary themes: understanding the watershed and its people, making informed decisions for an adaptive watershed plan, and inclusive management through action and evaluation.
• The program integrates four specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to guide its framework: SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 15 (life on land).
• Adaptive management is defined as an iterative "plan–do–check–correct" approach, which is presented as essential for responding to changing natural, social, and economic conditions caused by a rapidly changing climate.
• The curriculum emphasizes the identification and analysis of vulnerable social groups—specifically mentioning women, Indigenous groups, youth, the elderly, and specific castes—to ensure equitable decision-making and to understand who is most prone to climate and non-climatic impacts.
• The training distinguishes between climatic hazards (such as drought, flooding, and storms) and non-climatic stressors (such as fertilizer use, dam construction, and political instability), noting that the latter can exacerbate the negative impacts of the former.
• The program utilizes a seven-step process to identify management objectives and actions aimed at sustaining high-priority ecosystem services, while incorporating a 'toolbox for adaptation' to select appropriate management tools based on community conditions.
• The final phase of the training focuses on accountability and transparency, requiring participants to commit to specific individual and institutional actions over a 12-month period to increase adaptive capacity for the year 2050.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2017). The Adaptive Watershed. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/the-adaptive-watershed-overview-training.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. The Adaptive Watershed. 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/the-adaptive-watershed-overview-training.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=The Adaptive Watershed |date=2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/the-adaptive-watershed-overview-training.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2017adaptive, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{The Adaptive Watershed}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/the-adaptive-watershed-overview-training.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }