scholarly journals Transboundary river basin management in Europe Legal instruments to comply with European water management obligations in case of transboundary water pollution and floods

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea M. Keessen ◽  
Jasper J.H. Van Kempen ◽  
Helena F.M.W. Van Rijswick
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Pollution ◽  
River Basin ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Transboundary Water ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Transboundary River Basin ◽  
European Water

Transboundary river basin organizations in Africa: assessing the secretariat

Water Policy ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1053-1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davison Saruchera ◽  
Jonathan Lautze
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Transboundary Water ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
Transboundary River Basin ◽  
Transboundary Water Management ◽  
Transboundary Basins ◽  
Governance Instruments

Secretariats are an increasingly common feature in Africa's transboundary river basin organizations (RBOs). Non-secretariat-based forms of transboundary RBOs nonetheless also exist, and such forms of cooperation have often functioned effectively. These realities drive questions about the rationale and role for secretariats. This paper employs two approaches to compare secretariat-based RBOs vis-à-vis RBOs without secretariats in Africa. First, we compared the degree to which five governance instruments, determined to enable effective transboundary water management, are contained in treaties creating secretariat-based RBOs versus treaties creating non-secretariat-based RBOs. Second, the costs and benefits of six African transboundary RBOs – three with secretariat and three without – were compared based on a survey of regular costs and volume and number of projects. Key findings are that RBOs with secretariats have achieved stronger governance and secured more investment than RBOs without secretariats. Costs associated with operating secretariats appear justified by their benefits. These findings help to lay an improved basis for selecting desired models of RBOs in Africa's transboundary basins.

Managing the world's most international river: the Danube River Basin

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nike Sommerwerk ◽  
Jürg Bloesch ◽  
Momir Paunović ◽  
Christian Baumgartner ◽  
Markus Venohr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Science Policy ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Basin Management ◽  
Transboundary River ◽  
The Danube River ◽  
Transboundary River Basin ◽  
Danube River Basin

Transboundary river-basin management is a challenging task emerging from lack of on-site expert knowledge, high administrative and socioeconomic complexity, various stakeholder interests, and difficulties enforcing international and national law. Therefore, an efficient ‘science–policy interface’ is a crucial ingredient for the successful development and implementation of adequate management strategies. The Danube River Basin (DRB) drains areas of 19 countries with different cultural, political, and environmental legacies. The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) has provided the guiding legal instrument for DRB management since 2000, supported by several multilateral agreements. The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) is responsible for the implementation of the WFD in the DRB. It stimulates management-oriented research and coordinates the various activities of the contracting parties and observers, including those of many NGOs and stakeholders. The development of the first DRB Management Plan in 2009 constituted a milestone of cooperation among scientific, political, and public organisations. Key stressors and pressures have been identified, a new basin-wide monitoring network has been established, and numerous conservation and restoration sites have been designated. A major challenge in DRB management will be to establish synergies among the competing interests of navigation, hydropower production, flood protection and nature conservation. This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of DRB science–policy interactions and outlines future strategies for sustainable development of the DRB as a template for transboundary river basin management.

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