The network perspective is increasingly put forth as an analytical framework weil suited to studying complex social-ecological systems. The underlying rationale is that the network approach as such is generic and allows the research to model any kind of systems as consisting of separated but interlinked components of different kinds. Hence, integrated social-ecological systems (or WEF) could be analyzed as social-ecological networks where interdependent ecological entities (e.g. species, habitat patches, and water bodies) and social entities (e.g. users, managers, agencies and NGOs) could be simultaneously incorporated in a common systems model. In this talk 1 will present some recent developments of this emerging line of research.
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The interrelation of the water-energy-food nexus and processes of globalization have to be understood thoroughly, in order to address social inequalities and the depletion of natural resources. However, unravelling the complexities of the water-energy-food nexus in the context of globalization poses conceptual and empirical difficulties. Economic globalization, e.g. through transnational trade and foreign direct investment, results in a global conjunction of actors, interests and impacts, strongly affecting patterns of resource extraction and local capabilities for its governance. In environmental economic geography the global production networks approach has proved useful for the analysis of interrelations between governance structures, value (value creation, enhancement and capture), institutional contexts and the consumption of resources. In this talk we will discuss the potential of the global production networks approach for the analysis of society-nature interrelations in the context of the water-energy-food nexus and processes of globalization.
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Worldwide, water crises caused by rising demand and extreme weather events such as floods and droughts increase steadily and constitute a threat to human well-being. In addition, a decrease of ecosystem integrity and related loss of ecosystem services is observed at many sites. Ecosystem functions and their value for humans have been thoroughly studied. However, the role of governance of ecosystem services in understanding and governing the interlinkages between water usage, food production and environmental protection has been largely ignored up to now. To close this gap, this contribution introduces latest extensions of a database approach building on the Management and Transition Framework (MTF) in order to study the relationship between water governance and management systems and their impacts on ecosystem services from a nexus perspective. E.g. it enables investigating whether certain governance characteristics, such as strong vertical integration or stakeholder involvement, are associated with a change in the management of ecosystem services or a measurable change in their state. The MTF database allows for standardized data collection and representation including both qualitative and quantitative data derived from e.g. expert interviews or literature search. A standardized approach provides a high degree of consistency and consequently increases the validity of results. Furthermore, it facilitates comparative analyses. Thereby, the researcher has the possibility to identify differences and similarities and to derive general patterns of sustainable and integrated governance systems. Illustrating the potential of the MTF database, the approach is applied to river basins in South Africa, Australia, Germany, Spain and Hungary. The cases exemplarily show that the MTF database helps to analyze (1) how institutions are generated regulating ecosystem services, (2) how the state of ecosystem services changes as a response to human activities and (3) how governmental and non-governmental actors as well as actors from different governance levels are involved in selected management actions. The results indicate, that stakeholder involvement and vertical integration have a positive impact on the management of ecosystem services. However, implementation of new water institutions is slow or absent in the chosen case studies and, therefore, a change in the state of ecosystem service is hardly measurable. Applying the MTF database allows gaining evidence-based insights including best practices as well as failed management approaches and interventions. This in turn provides the possibility for knowledge transfer to other river basins. This contribution is part of the research project WaterNeeds which is the first DFG (German Research Foundation) funded project in the field of water research using a system oriented approach in which social and natural science combine an interdisciplinary landmark.
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The so-called, water-energy-food nexus has recently received considerable attention. Considering the enormous challenges that societies face in these different nexus domains, the approach seems to be highly relevant. However, while intuitively compelling the nexus has also been criticized for not sufficiently taking into account the socio-political context in which further integration should be achieved. The difficulty in implementing the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) also raises questions about the feasibility of an approach that some claim goes beyond IWRM. This paper aims to fill what we see as two important gaps in the nexus discussion. First, a critical exploration of nexus challenges that is grounded in empirical data and second a better understanding of the socio-political dimension of the nexus. Applying the concepts of problemsheds and issue networks, the research investigates the cross-sectorial and cross-scale interplay between various actors influencing the water-energy-food nexus in the Upper Blue Nile of Ethiopia. This area is currently undergoing a rapid transformation in terms of investments in and development of water, agriculture and energy infrastructure, with important implications for people’s livelihoods. To better understand the governance arrangements influencing the nexus in the Upper Blue Nile, we interviewed representatives from more then 80 organizations covering different sectors, places and scales. By combining quantitative and qualitative network research approaches, we explored both the structural opportunities and constraints that arise from specific network structures as well as the meaning of these networks, as perceived and articulated by the actors that are embedded in the networks. The research highlights the importance of and potential benefits of addressing interdependent development challenges from a nexus perspective. However, it also illustrates how certain dimensions of the nexus get prioritized over others and how power relations play an important role in understanding how certain groups and their framings of nexus issues get marginalized.
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