Water : a reflection of land use : options for counteracting land and water mismanagement

A majority of today’s environmental problems are related to water and reflect three particular water management failures : 1) unsuccessful response to hydroclimatic pre-conditions such as water scarcity, 2)  poor waste management which allows chemical and biological waste to be introduced into the air, to the land and to the water bodies and from there to be picked up by the moving water, in contact every-where with ecosystems, 3) ill advised interventions in soil and vegetation systems, which affect water partitioning and produce changes in groundwater recharge and river runoff. Two types of land-use activities that have a fundamental impact on livelihood are addressed : 1) “water dependent” land-use, concerning drainage and flood protection, or concerning limitations imposed by water on societal and biomass production, 2) water-impacting land-use, concerning rainwater partitioning through soil and vegetation or impacts related to the function of water as a carrier of solutes and silt in the landscape.

This document will help politicians to understand water, the water cycle, its integrity and its key processes. It will give readers an opportunity to have a better understanding of ecohydrological linkages and to review their own particular cases and to make informed decisions. It will contribute to better future governance by educating politicians, decision-makers and interested members of the general public, provide teachers with appropriate and useful information for the development of classroom material and activities, and create an awareness of fundamental regional differences and the importance of education for changing attitude on water issues.