Ecosystem Services for Urban Water Security: Concepts and Applications in Sub-Saharan Africa

96 Pages·2020·3.236 MB·English

by  Blal Adem Esmail, Davide Geneletti

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN GEOGRAPHY
Blal Adem Esmail
Davide Geneletti
Ecosystem
Services for Urban
Water Security
Concepts and
Applications in
Sub-Saharan Africa
123
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Blal Adem Esmail Davide Geneletti
(cid:129)
Ecosystem Services
for Urban Water Security
Concepts and Applications in Sub-Saharan
Africa
123
Blal AdemEsmail Davide Geneletti
Department ofCivil, Environmental and Department ofCivil, Environmental and
MechanicalEngineering MechanicalEngineering
University of Trento University of Trento
Trento, Italy Trento, Italy
DivisionofUrbanandRegionalStudies
DepartmentofUrbanPlanningand
Environment,RoyalInstituteof
Technology
Stockholm, Sweden
ISSN 2211-4165 ISSN 2211-4173 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs inGeography
ISBN978-3-030-45665-8 ISBN978-3-030-45666-5 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45666-5
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Foreword 1
Cities worldwide are facing increasing water pressures as population growth, land
degradation and climate changes increase stresses on water supply systems,
intensify risks of intense floods and exacerbate periodic droughts. Leaders are
increasinglyturningtonature-basedsolutions—actionslikeinvestinginsustainable
land use practices, improving vegetation cover and protecting existing natural
landscapes and floodplains—as part of an integrated strategy to secure water for
their people. In recent years, a plethora of tools and approaches have appeared on
the scene to help policymakers from national to local scales to decide on the best
ways to use nature to meet their water needs.
But, technical tools that help demonstrate the links between land management
and water are notenough; there isan urgent need tobetter understand how, where
and in what configuration sustainable land use can contribute to water security in
increasingly complex water supply and delivery systems, and what the impacts on
local livelihoods will be from different management choices. Few studies have
takensuchacomprehensivelookatthewatersystem—andtheroleofnaturewithin
it—as the one presented here.
Further, despite the availability of many technical tools and models of natural
systems and hydrology, leaders and technical staff still lack practical examples of
howandwheresuchanalyseshavebeendoneintheirregion.Thisbookpresentsa
practical case study for how an integrated evaluation of sustainable land manage-
mentaspartofacity’sbroaderwatersecuritystrategycanbeappliedinthecontext
ofarapidlydevelopingcityinSub-SaharanAfrica.Suchcasestudieshelptobuild
thecriticalbaseofknowledgenecessarytomainstreamtheuseoftechnicaltoolsin
the day-to-day operations of the world’s water supply systems.
Mainstreaming sustainable land management into water security strategies for
developing countries is both a huge challenge and a grand opportunity. The chal-
lenge is particularly acute in data-poor regions, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa,
wherealackoffine-scaledataonbothecosystemandthewaysthatpeopledepend
on them makes applying technical assessments challenging. The role of stake-
holders and local knowledge in such cases cannot be overstated, to fill the gaps in
ourknowledge—notjustoftheworkingofnaturalsystems,butofappropriatelocal
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vi Foreword1
land management technologies, and the impacts that watershed management pro-
grams can have on livelihoods, social interactions, power dynamics and gender
roles.
Water security for growing cities is not a problem unique to Africa, nor to the
developing world. But by sharing experiences, techniques and lessons learned, we
can work together towards making the vision of water systems that sustain both
nature and people a reality.
Adrian L. Vogl, Ph.D.
Lead Scientist, The Natural Capital Project (NatCap)
Securing Freshwater Initiative, Stanford University (USA)
Stanford, USA
Foreword 2
The UN World Water Development Report 2018 acknowledged that future
investments in nature-based solutions could benefit with mainstreaming of natural
infrastructure into planning. Hard engineering strategies to build water security in
urban areas have been implemented around the world. These solutions are
expensive and can be intrusive to the natural environment, thereby presenting
nature-based solutions inspired by the ecosystem services concept—as an alterna-
tive.Theecosystemservicesapproachalsoprovidesafoundationalbasisformany
“fit to purpose” and “cost-effective” nature-based solutions. Still, projects and
programs inspired by ecosystem services that intent to improve water availability,
help enhance water quality and generally maintain our natural capital should be
discussedalongwithconventionalplanningmeasuretomanagewater.Inthisbook,
the authors explore and review what conceptual framings and practical options are
availabletoapplyecosystemservicesapproachforwatersecurity,andhowitcould
be valid for urban water management in the African region.
Formanycitiesandcommunities,thewaytheirwaterismanagedwillhelpthem
executing vulnerability and achieve socio-ecological resilience. Applying an
ecosystemservicesperspectivetoplanningcanprovidecities’decision-makers,and
development partners a new and practical guide for developing effective policies,
design and investment plans to address the water security agenda. The UN-Water
2013Reportthatinterlinkswatersecurityintoaconceptualframeworkandcaptures
the complexity inherent to sustainable urban management is gaining global atten-
tion. Adopting a water security vision comprehends the need to manage water
resourcesalongsidethepolitical,economicandsocialdiscourse—especiallyincase
of people and populations in vulnerable contexts. This book reflects well on that
argument.
Indeed, planning for ecosystem services in the urban context is gaining
momentum as more cities and communities realize that hard engineering solutions
arecostlyandchallengingtodevelop,operateandmaintain.Statesandplannersare
consideringadoptingecosystemservicesknowledgeandhavealreadyembarkedon
similar endeavours—as elucidated by the Asmara and the Toker Watershed case
study analysed in this book. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
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viii Foreword2
Nations published Forests and Sustainable Cities (Unasylva 250), in 2018, high-
lighting the need for mapping opportunities to deploy smart, green, cost-effective
water management policies in towns and cities. This book is a timely and an
excellent attempt to link the water security agenda with the ecosystem services
framework for urban water security planning and builds well on the conceptual
density and existing scholarship, thematically and empirically. It promises to
enhance the understanding ofwaterneedsin thevulnerable region of Sub-Saharan
Africa.
Nidhi Nagabhatla, Ph.D.
Programme Officer & Capacity Building Coordinator
United Nations University—Institute for Water
Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Canada
and Adjunct Professor—McMaster University, Canada
Acknowledgements
ResearchforthisbookhasbeenconductedaspartofaPh.D.studyattheUniversity
ofTrento,intheDepartmentofCivil,EnvironmentalandMechanicalEngineering.
Chapters 3 and 5 draw from Adem Esmail &Geneletti (2017), Design and impact
assessment of watershed investments: An approach based on ecosystem services
and boundary work, published in Environmental Impact Assessment
Review (62, 1–13). We are grateful to Dr. Chiara Cortinovis for her helpful
suggestions.
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