How to overcome the trade-offs between human and envi-ronmental water needs in times of global change The role of ecosystem services and environmental hazards

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Claudia Pahl-Wostl
• Subject Area: Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: from 2012 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 220116405

The 21st century poses extreme challenges for the sustainable management of water re-sources. Trade-offs between human and environmental water needs may even increase due to increasing pressures from global and climate change. Such prospects have strengthened claims for profound changes towards adaptive and integrated water governance and man-agement. The project will ana-lyse the role of an integrated perspective on ecosystem services and environmental hazards in sup-porting transitions sustainable governance and management systems. A conceptual and methodological framework will be further developed and applied for a comparative analysis of case studies in river basins in Europe, Australia, China and South Africa. The focus will be on processes of societal learning and policies for dealing with droughts and floods.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Sweden
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. Carl Folke