Search Climate Insights Directory

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.

The IISD program on Environment, Conflict and Peacebuilding investigates the links between environmental change, natural resource governance, and human security to support conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction. The program employs a three-pillar approach consisting of research, policy, and practice, which includes analyzing emerging threats, promoting policy mechanisms to address root causes of insecurity, and training practitioners in conflict-sensitive programming. Specific project examples include assessing climate change threats in the Jordan River basin, analyzing Canada's security agenda regarding the Arctic and energy sources, and advising UN agencies on integrating environmental management into peacebuilding.

The paper proposes a green-blue water approach to watershed management, emphasizing that managing soil moisture (green water) can increase water productivity and reduce downstream scarcity. It examines the hydrological impacts of land-use changes, such as deforestation and afforestation, and discusses the use of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) to incentivize sustainable upland management. Case studies from the Jordan and Tana River basins illustrate the challenges of transboundary cooperation and the potential for 'soft-path' interventions over large-scale infrastructure.