Water Cultural Diversity 08

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International Hydrolgic Programm

Division of Water Scien

International Hydrological Program

Division of Water Scien

WATERANDCULTURAL DIVERSITY

TOWARDS SUSTAINABIL I T Y

OF WATER RESOURCES AND CULTURE


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This brochure proides an oeriew o the project on Water and Cultural Diersity o the International Hydrological

Programme (IHP) o UNESCO. It includes the background, uture steps and the main objectie o the project

mainstreaming cultural diersity in water resources management. It initiates a dialogue to encourage a shared

understanding o water, one that respects cultural diersity, as a rst step towards building trust between caretakers

o water: all o us.


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WaterAND

Cultural Diversity

Water is the essential lieblood o our planet,

with the power to generate, sustain, receive

and ultimately to uniy lie.

essentialto sustain

biodiversity innature

Water is

constructed,understood,

appropriated, managedand controlled in

diverse ways

a basichuman need

and a undamentalhuman right

whatconnects all

lie

intrinsicor cultural and

biologicaldiversitythe generator,sustainer and

unifer o all lieorms

the lie-bloodo Earth

the sourceo all lie on

Earth what givesrhythm andpulse to liean idea


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WaterThe French call it eau, but in Greek it is hydros, in

Latin, aqua, in Spanish, agua, while the Japanesecall it mizuand the Nepalese reer to it as the

nectar of life. Indigenous peoples such as the

Gitxsan say aks, while the Yorta Yorta say walla,

and the Guarani use yto say water. Peoples

around the world hae a rich diersity o terms

and concepts related to water; howeer, they all

share a common understanding about the urgency

o thirst. The moement and ubiquity o water

create a common connection, a shared reliance on

this unique basic element o existence. Water is a

primal human need and desire that fows through all

boundaries, denitions and belies.

Culture

Because water touches us all, it is part o eery culture. The term

culture applies not only to the culture o indigenous people, but

also: ethnic, Western, urban, suburban, rural, academic, local

and proessional cultures. Three denitions o culture presented

below exempliy the diersity o thought on the notion:

A complex whole which includes knowledge, belie, art,morals, laws, custom, and any other capabilities and habits

acquired by man as a member o society (Tylor 1958)

A system o inherited conceptions expressed in symbolicorms by means o which people communicate, perpetuate,

and deelop their knowledge about and attitudes toward lie

(Geertz 1973)

The alues, belies and knowledge people use to generateand interpret social behaiour (Webster 2006).

The International Hydrological

Programme (IHP)

The IHP is UNESCOs international scientic cooperatie

programme in water research, water resources management,

education and capacity building. Among the 24 UN agencies

that deal with reshwater issues, IHP is the only broadly based

science programme that ocuses on water. Implemented by

the IHP, this project on water and cultural diersity will ocus on

resh water. Fresh water is not only important or biodiersity,but also or cultural diersity: in addition to supporting human

lie, health and well-being, resh water has been a catalyst or

ciilization, and as such, it is inested with many layers o cultural

meanings. As resh water moes through and infuences human

lie in many orms, this project will also include the arious orms

water takes, rom coastal areas to the atmosphere.

Cultural Diversity

The ocus o the project is not simply to look at the relationship

between water and culture but rather, to comprehend the

relationship between water and cultural diersity. Cultural

diersity may be understood as, but not limited to, diersity

in: (1) practices (rituals, production systems, and knowledge

transmission systems); (2) ways o liing together (social

systems including institutions, legal systems, leadership and

tenure systems); (3) alue systems (religion, ethics, spirituality,

belies and worldiews); (4) knowledge (know-how and skills);

(5) languages; and (6) artistic expressions (art, architecture,

literature and music).

WhAtis...?

Geertz, C. (1973) The Interpretation o Cultures: Selected Essays. New York, Basic Books.

Tylor, Edward B (1958) The Origins o Culture. New York: Harper. [Reprint o part o Tylers

Primitive Culture (1871)].

United Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2002) UNESCO

Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. Cultural Diersity Series No.1, Paris: UNESCO.

Webster, J. (2006) Cultures Infuence: Towards Understanding Stakeholder Interactions in Rural

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion Projects. PhD dissertation. Institute o Water and

Enironment. Craneld, Silsoe College at Craneld, U.K.

UNESCOS DECLARATION ON CULTURAL DIvERSITY

The UNESCO Uniersal Declaration on Cultural Diersity, adoptedin 2001, is the rst international standard-setting instrument aimed

at presering and promoting cultural diersity and intercultural

dialogue. The Declaration raises cultural diersity to the leel o

the common heritage o humanity, as necessary or humankind

as biodiersity is or nature. The Declaration aims both to presere

cultural diersity as a liing, renewable treasure that must not

be perceied as being unchanging heritage but as a process

guaranteeing the surial o humanity. In the context o UNESCOs

work, cultural diersity is a goal, as something positie that should

be protected and promoted.


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The increasing demand or water and complexity

o issues surrounding water require an integrated,

transdisciplinary approach to water resource

management. In order to achieve the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) under the tremendous

pressures that the world is currently acing, the

integration o human dimensions into water resource

management and policy development is vital.

Towards culturally andenvironmentally sustainablesolutions

In order to fnd sustainable solutions to water problems, any

decisions made or research conducted should be based on a

deep understanding o how culture aects and is aected by

the myriad interactions between people and water. This goes

beyond measuring human uses o water such as drinking,

washing, and fshing. It also goes beyond examining water

people relations in the ramework o environmental services

provided by water, such as ood, recreation and aesthetic

values. By looking at the various ways that cultures aect

water problems and the sustainability o their solutions, this

project brings an additional point o view to the one that has

characterized water sciences and management in general

up to now, and ultimately, endeavours to mainstream cultural

diversity in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

The way forward: mainstreaming

cultural diversityThis project attempts to respond to the urgent need in the

water feld to recognize cultural dimensions o water. Its

immediate objectives are to promote, to water scientists and

water managers, the importance o understanding the links

between water and cultural diversity; to provide inormation,

through case studies and other resources; and to acilitate

interactions and partnerships among institutions and experts

working on, or interested in, the topic.

In the longer term, the project aims to develop toolkits or

guidelines to help oster socio-cultural perspectives in watersciences, promote cultural pluralism in water management

strategies, and thereby contribute to the development o

culturally sensitive studies and policies on water. This project

thus fts into the larger context o international development

by contributing to the achievement o the MDG target o

reducing by hal the proportion o people without access to

sae drinking water and sae sanitation by 2015 and to stop

unsustainable exploitation o water resources. The need

or new approaches is urther amplifed by the act that it is

very likely that the MDGs will not be met, particularly in Sub-

Saharan Arica.

why is culturAl

Diversity

importANt For

wAter?

OUR GOAL

Contribute to the achievement o the MDG 7: Ensure environmental

sustainability, which includes target 10 Reduce by hal the

proportion o people without sustainable access to sae drinking

water by:

Recognizing and respecting cultural diversity and interweavingvarious perspectives towards collaborative and inclusiveactions or sustainability o water and cultures.


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The ollowing our ocal areas illustrate the diverse

ways that people and their cultures are associated

with water. They orm the basis o the conceptualramework or the project, which in turn acilitates a

systematic analysis o how cultural diversity aects

and is aected by water.

Focal Area IDiversity o cultural meanings,values and perceptions o water

Covering two-thirds o the planets surace and composing

two-thirds o our bodies, water is an important part o our lives

and so, imbued with cultural signifcances. This ocal area

will explore the diversity o meanings and values attributed to

water and diering perceptions o water. Such explorations

are important because meanings poured into water exert

a powerul inuence over every decision involved in water

use (Strang, 2004: 3). Cultural identities are oten rootedin reshwater ecosystems and these identities have been

well documented, in particular as they reer to claims to

land by indigenous people around the world. Water is oten

considered sacred, a purifer and a source o power. Diverse

expressions o the signifcance o water, maniested in the

symbolism, mythology and rituals o cultures around the world,

demonstrate the essential role water plays in belie systems.

Focal Area IICultural practices and technologies thataect water

This ocal area will draw attention to the diverse range o

practices and technologies, traditional and otherwise, that

aect water and related resources, and are rooted in peoples

customs, belies, knowledge, worldviews and values. Traditional

knowledge in particular has played vital roles in conserving

springs, rivers, lakes, wetlands and orests that protectwatersheds. Such knowledge and practices oten include

sustainable ways o managing natural resources and alternative

ways to adapt to global changes such as population growth or

climate change. The worldviews that underpin such knowledge

are in many cases holistic and typically emphasizes the

symbiotic nature o the relationship between humans and the

natural world (ICSU and UNESCO, 2002: 9).

the coNceptuAl FrAmework

The ocal areas are not intended to be an exhaustive list o the actors to be covered under the

broad theme o water and cultural diversity.

Strang, Veronica (2004) The Meaning o Water, Oxord, New York: Berg.

International Council or Science and UNESCO (2002) ICSU Series on Science or Sustainable

Development No. 4: Science, Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Development, Paris: ICSU.

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Traditional knowledge is defned here as a cumulative body o

knowledge, know-how, practices and representations maintained and

developed by peoples with extended histories o interaction with thenatural environment. These sophisticated sets o understandings,

interpretations and meanings are part and parcel o a cultural

complex that encompasses language, naming and classifcation

systems, resource use practices, ritual, spirituality and worldview

(ICSU and UNESCO, 2002: 9).

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Focal Area IIISocial, cultural, political and institutionalaspects that govern water use

This ocal area will examine the diverse range o social,

cultural, political and institutional aspects that govern

water management and use. Analysing ormal and inormal

institutions* at dierent levels o governance includingnational and international regulations, shared practices in the

basin, and local norms o water use and conservation is

necessary to better understand the use, access, and control o

water across dierent scales. As Mosse notes in his study o

water control technology in South India: water resources are

never simply there; they are produced by social and political

systems water systems are not only shaped by, but also

shape social and political relations (2004: 272).

Focal Area IVCollaboration and conict related to useso, access to and control over water

This ocal area will look at power relations, conicts and legal

issues related to cultural diversity and water. Many case studies

describe situations where there is a major power imbalance

between dierent parties, including those identiying contextsin which the rights o certain peoples had been marginalized,

oten to acilitate greater extraction o water resources or

intensifcation o its use. New technologies are oten owned

by the state rather than local communities, creating urther

grounds or conicts over ownership. Groundwork and baseline

data collection rom areas where conict has occurred or may

occur is critical, as is the collection o best practices in conict

resolution.

*Institutions are ormal and inormal rules and procedures that structure the behaviouro social actors, and include rules, norms, laws, policies, regulations, organizations and

partnerships (Brechin et al, 2003).

Brechin, Steven R., Peter R. Wilshusen and Charles E. Benjamin (2003) Crating conservation

globally and locally: Complex organizations and governance regimes, in Brechin, Steven

R., Peter R. Wilshusen, Crystal L. Fortwangler and Patrick C. West (eds.) Contested Nature:

Promoting international biodiversity conservation with social justice in the twenty-frst century,

Albany: State University o New York Press.

Mosse, David (2004) The rule o water: Uncertainty and the cultural ecology o water in

South India, in UNESCO Proceedings o the theme Water and Cultural Diversity at the Third

World Water Forum, Paris: UNESCO.http://www.unesco.org/water/ihp/pd/ww3_cult.pd.

BALINESE WATER TEMPLES

Lansings seminal work in Bali demonstrated that water temples,

and not kings, controlled the ow o water or irrigation, as well

as the symbolic systems that defne social coordination. Thus,

water temples must be understood, not only as a system o

irrigation management but in terms o their role in the process o

sociogenesis (Lansing, 2007 [1991]: 129).

Lansing, J. Stephen (2007) [1991] Priests and Programmers: Technologies o power in the

engineered landscape o Bali, Princeton: Princeton University Press.


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HoW To bE InVoLVED?

CoNtributetotheDAtAbAse

We will concentrate on compiling inormation on the topic o water and cultural diersity through 2008 and 2009. We will be actielyseeking publications, organisations and people working on the topic. We welcome your input, so dont hesitate to contact us.

beComeAmemberoftheCoP

Once the CoP is launched on the website, you will be able to register as a member. This will allow you to actiely participate indiscussions and other actiities. You will also hae the option o subscribing to a newsletter that will inorm you about news andeents on a regular basis.

Or you can just simply spread the news among colleagues and riends who might be interested in the topic.


WhAtComesNext?

Summer 2008 Launch o databaseThe database, which will include a bibliography o books, journal articles, conentions, case studies and eents on waterand cultural diersity, will be put online, along with a directory o organisations and experts working on the topic. Thedatabase will allow users to download and upload inormation.

July 2008 Expo Zaragoza 2008 (tbc)In addition to a permanent exhibition on water and cultural diersity, a liely public session will be held to demonstratecultural diersity in water. Experts o dierent backgrounds will raise awareness among the general public and willstimulate discussion among the specialists and practitioners. Inormation will be proided in the orm o case studies andother resources. Interactions and partnerships among institutions and experts working on, or interested in, the topic willbe acilitated.

16 22 March2009

World Water ForumThe water and cultural diersity project will actiely participate in the World Water Forum 2009 in Istanbul, in particular,to acilitate the topic 6.5: Water and Culture, which alls under theme 6: Education, Knowledge and Capacity Building. Formore inormation see www.worldwaterorum5.org

Spring 2009 Launch o CoPThe interactie part o the website will be brought into action with the launch o the Community o Practice around waterand cultural diersity. Opportunities or irtual interaction through web-conerences, a orum and a laboratory will be

created.

September 2009 International Symposium on Water and Cultural DiversityAn international symposium is under preparation. The eent will bring together experts and practitioners rom ariousdisciplines working on the topic o water and cultural diersity. The dates, location and preliminary programme will beannounced on our webpage at the beginning o 2009.

Autumn 2009 Launch o book on Water and Cultural DiversityA ariety o experts will work together to publish a book on water and cultural diersity, containing academic and non-academic articles on each o the ocal areas. The publication is expected to be made aailable online at the webpage.


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This project will develop an inormative and

interactive website on water and cultural diversity

on UNESCOs Water Portal, consisting o a

database and community o practice (CoP). Thewebsite will act as an inormation resource and

as a communication platorm or experts and

organisations. By disseminating inormation and

creating a network o people across disciplines

and interests, the website will serve as a tool

to meet the objectives o the project.

Database & LibraryThe aim o the database is to collect inormation relevant

to water and cultural diversity and make it accessible to a

wide group o users. The

database will consist o our

main sections news and

events, library, directory o

experts and organizations,

and a glossary. The library

will be a collection o case

studies and other research

categorized according tothe projects ocal areas,

conventions related to the topic, as well as existing examples

o methodologies, guidelines and policies. The directory will

consist o experts and institutions working on the topic o

water and cultural diversity. The news and events section will

contain a list o relevant conerences, meetings, workshops,

symposia and seminars related to water and cultural diversity.

All interested stakeholders and website visitors will be welcome

to access the inormation, use the database and contribute to

its urther development.

Community of Practice (CoP)An interactive space will be created on the website, consisting

o a community o practice (CoP), where inormation and

opinions are shared among members and users. The aim is to

create an environment that encourages virtual social interaction

and collaboration among users interested in the topic o

water and cultural diversity, and initiate and support cutting-

edge research on the topic. Members o this network will

play a central role in developing methodological guidelines to

acilitate the integration o social and cultural actors to water

sciences as well as culturally-sensitive policy recommendations.

Products to be developed through this network include: a

handbook or water managers and inrastructure developers;

educational and training programmes or water proessionals

to mainstream cultural diversity into IWRM; public awareness-

raising material, such as brochures, DVDs, and games. Some

eatures will be accessible to all, while others are reserved or

registered members. Activities in the CoP area will be undersupervision o a webmaster and moderator, yet members

will be encouraged to engage in active participation (e.g.,

taking on the role o a moderator or a web-conerence).

FAcilitAtiNg

commuNicAtioN

AND kNowleDge-

shAriNg

Home

WEBSITE

About News ResourcesSearch

Library

Glossary

Links

Events

Directory

Passive (providing information) STEP 2

to be l aunched mid-2008

Basic InformationSTEP 1

Launched August 2007

Community

Forum

WebConference

Newsletter

Active (networking andexchanging information)

STEP 3 to be launched early 2009

Laboratory

LoginPartners

Methodologies

Case studies

Guidelines

Conventions

http://typo38.unesco.org/en/themes/ihp-water-society/water-and-cultural-diversity.html

Wenger, Etienne, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder (2002). Seven Principles or

Cultivating Communities o Practice, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE (CoP)

The concept o CoP reers to a group o people who have a

common interest and share inormation and ideas to fnd solutions

and recommendations or a certain topic or problem. The members

o the group interact regularly either directly (ace-to-ace) or on a

virtual platorm (Wenger, McDermott and Snyder, 2002). Within this

project, both orms o CoP interaction will be acilitated.

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PARTnERS To bE InVoLVED In THE

PRojECT

The network and a community o practice on water

and cultural diersity to be created through this

project will link a wide ariety o groups

decision makers, proessionals and water

users at all leels (local, national, regional,

supranational and global), as well as

inoling NGOs, industry and goernment

organizations, media and experts.

CURREnT PARTnERS

In addition to the institutional partners listed bellow, ourteen experts rom twele countries, who represent a ariety o

backgrounds and disciplines pertaining to water anthropology, geography, philosophy, ethno-botany, orestry, hydrology, and

indigenous knowledge are guiding the deelopment o this project.

PCCP (From Potential Confict to Co-operation Potential)

More inormation: www.unesco.org/water/wwap/pccp

Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS)

More inormation: www.unesco.org/links

Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB)

More inormation: www.unesco.org/mab

Research Institute or Humanity and Nature (RIHN)

More inormation: www.chikyu.ac.jp

UNU-IAS Research Traditional Knowledge Water Programme

More inormation: http://www.unutki.org


GOVERNMENTAL

&

NON-GOVERNMENTAL

ORGANISATIONS

POLIC

YINITIATIVES

Local&International

KNOWLEDGE&

NETWORKSS

DECISIONMAKERS

WATER

USERS S

CIE

NTISTS

&

ACAD

EMICS

ActivistGroups

Indigeno

us

People

Elder

s/child

ren

/you

th

Wom

en

UserG

roups

/A

ssociati

ons C

ap

acity

Build

ing

Institu

tions

Universities

Lecturers

Students

Researchers

Politicia

ns

PolicyMa

kers

Private

IndustryEn

gineers&

Technicia

nsWaterManagers


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FRonT CoVER

A well used by monks or ablution, Kuramadera Templein Kyoto, Japan

Hidenobu Aoki

Woman etching water in rural Dodoma Region,Tanzania Nora Dietrich

A emale IFAD project beneciary hand watering mangosaplings in Perialangiri IFAD/ Anwar Hossain

InSIDE FRonT CoVER

Langcang Mekong Rier in North-West Yunnan, China CBIK/ Xie Hongyan

Bunna o South-West Ethiopia etching contaminatedsurace water or drinking James Webster

Nu-Salween Rier in North-West Yunnan, China CBIK/ Yin Lun

PAgES 2 - 3

Small basin at Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Theour characters engraed connote a Zen philosphy,which can be translated roughly as I learn only to becontented Hidenobu Aoki

Female household members carrying water uphill incentral Tanzania Nora Dietrich

Children protesting or increased water quality at DoceRier in Brazil - Pollution is enough. We want to swim inour rier Claudio Guerra

PAgE 4

Fountain in a Shrine in Kyoto decorated with a fower Alexander Otte

Tank with Holy Water in the Cloister o San Xaier delBac Mission (18th century), Tohono OOdham Nation,San Xaier District, Arizona, U.S.A. Alexander Otte

First Nations sacred spring in the dry ponderosa

grasslands o central British Columbia, Canada Michael Blackstock

PAgES 5 - 7

CanadaCase study & Photo: Michael Blackstock

U.S.A. (Los Angeles)Case study & Photo: Irene Klaer

MexicoCase study & Photo: Ameyali Ramos CastilloReerence: Ramos Castillo, Ameyali (orthcoming).Breaking the Silence: Indigenous People and UrbanWater Governance

GuatemalaPhoto: Bert JanssensCase study: Barbara Rose Johnston

Sierra LeoneCase study & Photo: Fenda AkiwumiReerence: FAO/UNDP (1973) Sierra Leone. InWater law in selected Arican countries (Benin,Burundi, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritius, Sierra

Leone, Swaziland, Upper Volta, Zambia), ed. Dante A.Caponera, 162-205, Legislative study no. 17. Rome,Italy: Food and Agricultural Organization o the UnitedNations.Fenton, J.S. 1948. Outline o native law in SierraLeone. Freetown, SL: Government Printer

ZimbabwePhoto: IFAD/ Horst WagnerCase study: Claudious Chikozho

EthiopiaPhoto & Case study: James Webster

ChinaPhoto & Case study: CBIK/ Qian Jie

JapanPhoto: Sango/ Morino-FukurouReerence: Anonymous (2001). Kibune Jinja Rainritual (accessed: March 2008 )http://www.kibune.or.jp/jinja/

IndiaPhoto: IFAD/ Anwar HossainMosse, David (2004) The rule o water: Uncertaintyand the cultural ecology o water in South India, inProceedings o the theme Water and Cultural Diversityat the Third World Water Forum, Paris: UNESCO.http://www.unesco.org/water/ihp/pd/ww3_cult.pd

AustraliaPhoto & Case study: Marcus Barber

PAgE 9

Sguia (traditional irrigation canal) o the oasisTaghoucht (Ferkla), Anti Atlas, Morocco

Alexander Otte

Mayan protestors displaced by the Chixoy Dam site(Baja verapaz, Guatemala) listen to the results onegotiation ater 29 hours o peaceul protest Bert Janssens

PAgES 10 - 11

Mayan residents working on a consequential damagesurey with men rom the Agua Blanca community, aillage located downstream rom the Chixoy Dam Bert Janssens

Kinuso Falls, one o the tallest wateralls in Canada,located near Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia

Michael Blackstock

bACk CoVER

Man shing algae in an urban eutrophic pond inShanghai, China Andras Szllsi-Nagy

PHoToS - ExPLAnATIonS AnD CREDITS

unesco-IHP April 2008

Dig: Mar Haa, L Pr st Grvai Fra

Pritd by seP nm Fra cyl oft 100% Ryld Papr


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FoR MoRE InFoRMATIon

www.unesco.org/water/ihphttp://typo38.unesco.org/en/themes/ihp-water-society/water-and-cultural-diversity.html

Contact:[email protected]@unesco.org

UNESCO-IHPDiision o Water Sciences,1, rue Miollis,75732 Paris Cedex 15

FranceTel: +33(0)1 45 68 40 01Fax: +33(0)1 45 68 58 11

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Water Cultural Diversity 08