Ecosystem Approaches in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

The report examines seven transboundary river basins—Congo, Okavango, Red, La Plata, Danube, Mekong, and Jordan—to evaluate how ecosystem services (ES) are integrated into Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). It finds that while IWRM planning is common, actual implementation is weak and often focuses on traditional services like hydropower and navigation, neglecting critical ES such as carbon sequestration and flood regulation. The authors argue that moving toward an ES-based 'benefit-sharing' model, supported by economic instruments like Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), can overcome political, institutional, and financial barriers to sustainable transboundary water management.

• Across the seven studied transboundary basins, IWRM planning is present, but none of the cases demonstrate well-established implementation.
• Transboundary water managers typically prioritize conventional services such as hydropower, navigation, and water quantity over less conventional ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, food production, and wetland-based flood prevention.
• The Congo River Basin's forests are critical for regional water security, creating 75-95% of the region's rainfall, yet this link is not yet reflected in water management policies or plans.
• In the Okavango River Basin, the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) is incorporating an Environmental Flows Assessment and planning a special component on Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) to support a tri-country benefit-sharing approach.
• The Red River Basin utilizes a 'watershed approach' through the International Joint Commission and the Red River Basin Commission, focusing on flood mitigation and ecological infrastructure as cost-effective alternatives to built infrastructure.
• The Danube River Basin shows the most advanced IWRM progress due to the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), though non-EU riparian states remain a challenge for basin-wide implementation.
• In the Mekong River Basin, the 1995 Basin Development Plan serves as an IWRM plan, but the commission lacks the power to override national actions that negatively impact downstream ecosystems.
• The Jordan River Basin lacks a unified IWRM plan, and water management is heavily influenced by political insecurity, though NGOs have successfully implemented grassroots integrated water management.
• The La Plata Basin's management has historically focused on hydropower and navigation, but the Pantanal wetland's role in flood mitigation and climate regulation presents an opportunity for a broader ecosystem-based approach.
• The report argues that shifting the focus from dividing physical water volumes to optimizing a 'calculus of benefits' through ES valuation can transform transboundary disputes from zero-sum to positive-sum outcomes.

APA

Roy, D., Barr, J., & Venema, H. D. (2011). Ecosystem Approaches in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iwrm_transboundary_river_basins.pdf

Chicago

Roy, Dimple, Jane Barr, and Henry David Venema. Ecosystem Approaches in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iwrm_transboundary_river_basins.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Roy |first1=Dimple |last2=Barr |first2=Jane |last3=Venema |first3=Henry David |title=Ecosystem Approaches in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iwrm_transboundary_river_basins.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{roy2011ecosystem, author = {Roy, Dimple and Barr, Jane and Venema, Henry David}, title = {{Ecosystem Approaches in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iwrm_transboundary_river_basins.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }