Assessment of the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus in

transboundary river basins: the Alazani/Ganikh Basin Pilot

Annukka LipponenUnited Nations Economic

Commission for Europe (UNECE)Manuel Welsch, Lucia de Strasser,

Sebastian Hermann, Mark Howells

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

Assessment of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus under the Water Convention in selected basins• Part of the Convention’s Work Programme 2013-2015• Work overseen and guided by the Task Force on the

Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus • Some 6-8 basins to be assessed – pan-Europe, Africa,

Asia; different nexus settings, climate, resource scarcity etc.

• Key partners: Finland (lead)/Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, FAO, Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm)

• Methodology developed, piloted & going through stakeholder consultation

• Basin assessments January 2014 - April 2015; report August 2015

What does the nexus entail in a transboundary context?

• Finding a balance between various uses and protection of the resource: address the trade offs and increase synergies

• Necessary to coordinate plans & management measures between the riparian countries ― nexus further complicated!

• Needed:• Increased understanding, dialogue and

participation• Effective institutions and legal frameworks• Decision-support tools (monitoring, impact

assessment etc.)• Regulations, economic tools• Sharing / solidarity/political willingness

Some Key Features of the Methodological Approach/process…

Participatory processes

Sound scientific analysis

Knowledge

mobilizationCapacity building Collective effort

Diagnostic Phase

The nexus analysis starts with a large-spectrum set of questions regarding the natural and socio-economical conditions, and human interaction with the environment of the target basin.

This performed by:• Joint identification of the pressing inter-

sectoral issues with national sectoral administrations and basin stakeholders (workshop)

• Develop and distribute a «diagnostic questionaire»

• Using available statistics data and indicators Biodiversity?

Water scarcity?Pollution?

Floods?Irrigation?Growing demand?

Erosion?

Climate Change?

Diagnostic Phasesome examples of indicators and their potential interlinkages

WATER FOOD & LAND USE ENERGY ECOSYSTEM

S CLIMATE

- Water withdrawals?

- Share of groundwater use?

- Sectoral water demands (agriculture)

- ….

- Food self-sufficiency?

- Agricultural efficiency (water demand?)

- Fertilizer and pumping requirements?

- Biofuel policies? ….

- Water footprint of energy technologies?

- Energy mix- Energy self-

sufficiency? Energy demand for agriculture?

- ….

- Protected areas and vulnerable zones?

- Biodiversity hotspots

- Endangered species?

- Ecosystem services affected?

- ….

- Likely affected by climate change?

- An increase / decrease in water availability?

- ….

Nexus Analysis

Alazani/Ganikh pilot assessment: Azerbaijan & Georgia

Interactive multi-sectoral basin workshop in Kachreti, Georgia, 25-27 November 2013; organised in cooperation with UNDP/GEF project “Reducing Transboundary Degradation in the Kura Aras River Basin” and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia

Among the participants:ministries of environment, energy, agriculture, emergency situations; communities; agencies, companies; civil society

Energy Land / Food

Water Ecosystems

Degradation of

Hydrological Regime

Deforestation

Energy

Growth

Using Firewood

as primary energy source

Loss of ecosystems

services

With Improved

Water Management

Gasification and

Electrification of Rural

Areas

Reforestation

Restoration of ecosystems

services

Improvement of

Hydrological Regime

Identification of potential solutions jointly with the riparian countries and between the sectors

• What the countries plan? Are the plans of the different sectors compatible? What do changing drivers & the climate outlook mean for the nexus? How to better reconcile the different uses?

• What opportunities there are to reduce negative intersectoral impacts and enhance synergy? Institutional arrangements at transboundary level conducive to intersectoral coordination?

• Diverse solutions! Changes to policies, new policies, managementand measures practices, institutional arrangements, ways the infrastructure is operated ...

Tendencies & particularities of the Alazani/Ganikh case• Development pressures: inter-sectoral

considerations timely• Expansion of hydropower in Georgia (new energy

strategy)• Gasification available in urban areas but remains

beyond affordability for many (GE)• Large state programmes; state companies and

operators• IWRM plans under development in Georgia and in

Azerbaijan with GEF support• Agreement on transboundary waters being

negotiated (AZ-GE); multi-sector representation from the countries

Some concluding points: (1) What can the governments do?

• Ensuring collection of relevant data & information, making it available

• Ensuring a rational and predictable policy framework to help spur the development and adoption of more water efficient technologies in the energy sector

• Setting appropriate permit conditions for sectoral development projects, requiring EIA (also transboundary)

• Strategic planning of locating infrastructure projects

• Ensuring relevant sectors' representation and consultation also in institutions for transboundary cooperation

Some concluding points: (2) Challenges and opportunities

• Commonly channels & forums for dialogue & coordination absent or undeveloped, both at national and transboundary levels

• very few methods or diagnostic tools that allow for fast and quantitative appraisal of nexus issues; need to appraise consistent inter-sectoral scenarios (compound effects!)

• water not valued consistently between sectors• By sharing information and through dialogue by

applying assessment tools (including mapping and models), it is possible to find win-win opportunities

• shortages raise awareness about vulnerabilities and can trigger more rationalised use of water

• knowledge base improving, good practices getting disseminated (context specificity!)