ECOHEALTH AND WATERSHEDS

The research paper argues for a systemic approach to public health that re-integrates water resources management with health and well-being. It proposes using watersheds as the primary spatial unit for this integration, combining the principles of ecohealth—which views human health as an outcome of effective ecosystem management—with IWRM. The authors highlight how watershed management can buffer against environmental hazards, such as water-related diseases and disasters, while promoting social determinants of health through multi-stakeholder governance and social learning. Using the 'Prism Framework' and case studies like the Taieri River in New Zealand, the document illustrates how managing 'living systems, livelihoods, and lifestyles' can create a 'double-dividend' that improves both environmental sustainability and social equity. It concludes by identifying challenges in governance, spatial-temporal scale, and the 'public health paradox' of attributing health gains to ecosystem actions.

• The document proposes integrating 'ecohealth', which posits that human health is an outcome of ecosystem management, with 'watershed-based integrated water resources management (IWRM)', which views watersheds as the appropriate units for water governance.
• Watershed management can act as a buffer against water-related diseases; for instance, WHO reports estimate that 88 per cent of global diarrhoea cases are attributable to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
• A 'multi-barrier approach' to drinking water protection, which begins with source area protection on the land and continues to the tap, is recommended to reduce public health risks, as highlighted by the Walkerton water crisis in Ontario.
• The 'Prism Framework' is introduced as a tool to analyze watershed governance through four perspectives: sustainable development, ecosystems and well-being, social determinants of health, and social-ecological health promotion.
• The Taieri River Catchment project in New Zealand demonstrates how a multi-stakeholder process can link 'lifestyles, livelihoods and living systems' to improve community health and river sustainability.
• Participatory watershed management in India showed that while technical improvements like groundwater recharge and crop yields increased, benefits often accrued to landowners, potentially perpetuating inequalities for the landless poor.
• The authors argue that linked social-ecological actions can create a 'double-dividend' by simultaneously improving socio-economic and environmental determinants of health while promoting sustainable development.

APA

Parkes, D. M. W., Morrison, D. K. E., Bunch, D. M. J., & Venema, D. H. D. (2008). ECOHEALTH AND WATERSHEDS. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ecohealth_watersheds.pdf

Chicago

Parkes, Dr. Margot W., Dr. Karen E. Morrison, Dr. Martin J. Bunch, and Dr. Henry D. Venema. ECOHEALTH AND WATERSHEDS. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2008. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ecohealth_watersheds.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parkes |first1=Dr. Margot W. |last2=Morrison |first2=Dr. Karen E. |last3=Bunch |first3=Dr. Martin J. |last4=Venema |first4=Dr. Henry D. |title=ECOHEALTH AND WATERSHEDS |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2008 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ecohealth_watersheds.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parkes2008ecohealth, author = {Parkes, Dr. Margot W. and Morrison, Dr. Karen E. and Bunch, Dr. Martin J. and Venema, Dr. Henry D.}, title = {{ECOHEALTH AND WATERSHEDS}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2008}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ecohealth_watersheds.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }