Hydrology for the Environment, Life and PolicyTed Engman

North American RCU

http://www.unesco.org/water/ihp/help

HELP provides a framework within catchments for scientists, stakeholders, managers, law and policy experts to come together to

address locally defined “water related issues”. HELP provides a platform for sharing experiences across an international network of

catchments

Real people Real catchments Real answers

“Paradigm Lock”

Biophysical Scientistsand Process hydrology

The HELP Approach

HELP aims to consolidate experimental hydrology to improve existing models

Develop strategic and innovative science which build on managers and policy-makers concerns

ICM

Communityknowledge &expectations

Researchknowledge & skills

Outreach

Government vision & policy

Governance

Contracting

Integrated Catchment Management

- a partnership approach- a partnership approach

After Motueka HELP group

Who are we?

Teams of scientists (natural, social, economic, political) stakeholders, managers, policy and decision makers.

Focusing on “needs driven” water related issues and research.

International platform for basin experiences (comparing/sharing).

Contribution towards IWRM.

Who benefits from HELP?

The scientific environment.

The stakeholder community.

Facilitates inter-institutional collaboration at

national and international level.

Contribution to international programmes.

HELP and IHP-VII

Theme 1: Global Changes, Watersheds and Aquifers Theme 2: Water Governance and Socio-Economics Theme 3: Ecohydrology and Environmental

Sustainability Theme 4: Water Quality, Human Health and food

Security Theme 5: Water Education

Policy Issues

Water communication and public participation are central to all of our activities connected to the following policy issues:

Impact of climate variability and change on water resources * Water use in providing food for a growing population Competition for water and potential conflicts Water quality impacts on human health Environment water needs Improved communication between hydrologists and society

*Note:includes water-related disaster prevention and mitigation (flood control and drought management)

What makes HELP unique?

Only international programme that is a catchment based activity which is interfacing scientific research with stakeholders needs.

Includes scientists, stakeholders, policy-makers, lawyers, environmentalists, etc.

Provides options as against imposing solutions. Providing/testing/implementing and improving

solutions. IHP cross cutting program Sharing experiences across a global network of basins.

The HELP Process

A comprehensive assessment of what we know now (physical, socio-economic, legal, cultural baseline information). Iteration between stakeholders and scientists to determine research plan.

Implementation of research in collaboration between scientists, managers and stakeholders

Two major steps:

LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN PROGRAM The governments of Vermont, New York and Quebec are in the process of revising the

historic Memorandum of Understanding on the Environmental Cooperation for the Management of the Lake Champlain Basin.  The MOU reaffirms the continuing commitment among Vermont, New York and Quebec to work collaboratively on Lake Champlain Basin management and protection issues.  

The LCBP is revising the Lake Champlain’s long-term management plan entitled Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin.  The revised plan will be released in 2009 which coincides with the 400th anniversary of the arrival of European explorer Samuel de Champlain.

The year 2009 marks the 400th anniversary of French explorer and cartographer Samuel de Champlain’s travels by sail, oar and paddle to the lake that now bears his name. All year long, special opportunities are planned for young and old alike to celebrate and commemorate the anniversary of this historic occasion.   The first signature events will be occurring in July 2009.  US President Obama and French President Sarkozy were invited, as the US and French presidents attended the 300th and 350th anniversary celebrations.  

LCBP working in partnership with the NYSCC to address the Champlain Canal as a vector of AIS introduction and spread.  The partnership is working to address specific species such as the Asian clam and spiny waterflea.

SAN PEDRO HELP BASIN In June 2007, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) published an Appraisal Report entitled

“Augmentation Alternatives for the Sierra Vista Sub-watershed, Arizona.”  Its purpose was to identify structural ways to augment the water supply in the Sierra Vista Sub-watershed. A set of water augmentation solutions is needed that would add approximately 10,000 acre feet a year (afy) by 2011 and 26,000 afy by 2050, to negate a portion of the 38,500 afy total demand projected by 2050.

The binational Santa Cruz and San Pedro aquifers were designated for additional study under the U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act “to develop and implement an integrated scientific approach to “…assess priority transboundary aquifers…” and “…provide the scientific information needed by water managers and natural resource agencies.” Technical challenges include inadequate knowledge of aquifer geometry, the effects of climate change, water quality and movement, especially in Mexico.  Non-technical, but equally important challenges include the bilingual, binational, bicultural environment with an often less than harmonious shared history.  In Arizona the approach to overcome these challenges and fulfill the objectives of the Act is to build a binational team with expertise not only in the physical and biological sciences, but also in policy, institutions, and water management.

Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs has announced that Dr. Roberto Salmón has been appointed to serve as Mexico’s Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) effective April 15, 2009.  Since Commissioner Salmon promoted the inauguration of the Binational San Pedro Commission, the Upper San Pedro Partnership and USGS are hoping that this will mean more attention will be given to this transboundary water group, especially in regard to potential research within the Federal Transboundary Aquifer Program created in 2006.

WASHITA, OKLAHOMA HELP BASIN Jean Steiner and colleagues released a web-based watershed data management

system, STEWARDS (Sustaining the Earth’s Watersheds: Agricultural Research Data System) that for the first time provides access to multiple Agricultural Research Service long-term watershed data sets.

Daniel Moriasi developed a twinning project between the Upper Washita River, Oklahoma, and a team in the Thika River Basin, Kenya. He will attend the 2nd World Agroforestry Congress which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya and then meet with two Kenyan scientists and a Kenya government official to visit the watershed and develop a funding proposal for NGO such as the Rockefeller Foundation to support the transfer of technology in the existing twinning project.

Jean Steiner, Jurgen Garbrecht, and Daniel Moriasi have worked with an multi-institutional team to develop a broad-based collaboration to address climate variability and groundwater sustainability in the Rush Springs Aquifer, Oklahoma; the Ogallala Aquifer in the U.S. Great Plains; and the Calera Aquifer basin in Zacatecas, Mexico.

LUQUILLO HELP BASIN

From 5-6 March 2008, members of the Luquillo HELP Project participated on the first national conference on environmental flows organized by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.  Dr. Fred Scatena gave one of the main talks on possible methods to determine environmental flows in Puerto Rican rivers.

Members of the HELP Project had an active role in the development of the Puerto Rico Integrated Water Resources Management Plan.  The plan was officially launched by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Hon. Anibal Acevedo Vila on 8 April 2008. 

Sponsored a meeting with the environmental officials from the new Commonwealth governors office and natural resource managers, water resource managers, and citizens of North Eastern Puerto Rico to discuss proposed changes in the zoning of the region, development of several ecological corridors and environmental flow standards.  The group has very diverse views and agreed to continue to meet and work on these issues. Two municipalities also agreed to sponsor Luquillo-HELP events.

WILLAMETTE BASIN

Preliminary results climate change impact assessment for the Willamette River basin show contrasting patterns of seasonal runoff changes between cascades basins and coastal basins, which will have significant implications for future water resource management in the basin.

Initial results on changing hydrologic ecosystem services resulting from Marmot dam removal were presented at a local community meeting with partners, including Portland General Electric and Bureau of Land Management. The community response to dam removal show mixed results.

New research is being initiated to investigate potential impacts of climate change on water demand in the Portland metro area communities. The idea is to coordinate land use planning and water resource planning for potential climate adaptation strategy. Local water providers are active participants of this research, which will contribute to water governance and education in the region.

IOWA-CEDAR RIVER BASIN The Iowa and Cedar Rivers have been proposed as a demonstration basin

for the UNESCO HELP program to adopt advanced information system technology (currently developed in the academic communities) for supporting Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Many scientists, decision makers and stakeholders are active in these basin in many ways, but there is no one agency or department capable of undertaking such an effort alone, and so we seek to harness the efficiency of working across disciplines and organizations to share responsibilities and coordinate activities with a common goal in mind.

Following the March 4, 2009 nomination Iowa-Cedar Rivers Basins a new UNESCO-HELP Basin, the kickoff meeting for the collaborative project was scheduled on Aril 13, 2009. Participants to the workshop included:

US Army Corps of Engineers, National Weather Service, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, Iowa Geologic Survey, Iowa USGS Water Surface Center, and IIHR – Hydroscience & Engineering (host).

HELP Basin Criteria

There are 5 categories of criteria:

- Suitability of the proposing organisation and the basin

- Relevance of the stated purpose to the HELP programme- Adequacy and feasibility of the proposed activities

- Confirmation of commitment to provide resources and cooperation

- Contribution to promoting HELP values

The detailed criteria are available at

http://www.unesco.org/water/ihp/help

HELP GLOBAL NETWORK

Evolving

Operational Proposed

Demonstration

Results from the 2008 Call for new Basins

40 New HELP Basins selected Africa 1 Asia 10 Australasia 6 Latin America and Caribbean 7 Europe 13 Middle east 1 North America 2

What has been achieved so far?

A Pilot phase of 25 basins (2001-2004) A global network of 90 basins (July 2004 onwards) Conferences and workshops:

• 1st HELP Int. Symposium Kalmar (Sweden) 2002

• Center for Water law, Policy and Science established in 2006, Dundee (Scotland, UK)

• HELP Sessions at the 3rd WWF in Shiga Japan in 2003, 4th WWF in Mexico City in 2006 and the 5th WWF in Istanbul in 2009.

• Numerous workshops and meetings

• UNESCO-IHP-HELP Symposium, November 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa

South Africa 2007 HELP Symposium

About 175 participants Two “Visionary” Talks, 3 – 4 BASINS Presentations, Panel Discussions (worked very

well) Meg Modley (LCBP): Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response Planning Partnerships

in the LCB: Bridging International, Political, Social and Economic Gaps Fred Scantena (LM): HELPing HELP with Limited Resources: The Luquillo

Experience Michaela Stickney (LCBP): Building Bridges, Fording Streams, Reaching Agreement

in the LCB: Alternative to Legislation and Regulation Rooted in Citizen and Science-Based Approaches to Inspire Watershed Protection

Anne Browning-Aiken (SPB): A River running in the Desert: Lessons for Integrated Water Resources Management from the San Pedro HELP Basin on the Mexican Border

Ted Engman: New Techniques for Obtaining Basic Water Cycle Data for Integrated catchment Management

Status of HELP Since October 2008

Shahbaz Kahn is now the Global UNESCO HELP coordinator in Paris – a big +++

HELP in Americas October 2008 Workshop HELP planning meeting, Guadiana Portugal June, 2009 Change Review Procedures for New BASINS and Existing

Inactive Basins, Simplified Process Major improvements to the web content of HELP.

Consolidation of the HELP Network, improved knowledge management and exchange among our members and member basins. Now have a private interactive, professional networking platform (helpforum.ning.com).