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Rivers, Flows and People -Connecting Ecosystems with Human Communities,

Cultures and Livelihoods Des rivières et des hommes : relier les écosystèmes
et les communautés humaines

Conference Paper · June 2018

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Rebecca Elizabeth Tharme Sue E Jackson

Riverfutures Griffith University
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Rivers, Flows and People - Connecting Ecosystems with

Human Communities, Cultures and Livelihoods
Des rivières et des hommes : relier les écosystèmes et
les communautés humaines

Tharme, Rebecca E. 1,2, Jackson, Sue 2, Douglas, M. 3,4,

Anderson, E. 5 and Flotemersch, J. 6
1 Riverfutures Limited, 48 Middle Row, Cressbrook, Derbyshire, SK17 8SX, UK,
rebeccatharme@[Link]; 2 Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith
University Nathan Campus, Queensland 4111, Australia; 3 School of Biological
Sciences and School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western
Australia, Perth, Australia; 4 Research Institute for the Environment and
Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia; 5 Department of Earth
and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA;
6 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, USA

RÉSUMÉ
Les rivières sont des systèmes socio-écologiques - des moyens de subsistance assurant le bien-être
de millions de personnes, des centres de culture et les dépositaires d’un capital naturel précieux dans
chaque bassin du monde. Alors que l'insécurité hydrique et le rythme de développement des
infrastructures hydrauliques s'intensifient, les flux environnementaux sont passés au premier plan
puisqu’ils constituent une approche solide de la gestion permettant de maintenir la santé des rivières,
la biodiversité et les moyens de subsistance. Les flux environnementaux visent à décrire la quantité, le
moment et la qualité des débits d'eau requis pour maintenir les écosystèmes d'eau douce et d'estuaire
ainsi que les moyens de subsistance et le bien-être humain qui dépendent de ces écosystèmes.
Jusqu'à présent, les efforts se sont concentrés sur l'établissement, la consolidation et l'intensification
de la science transversale de l'éco-hydrologie. Il est à noter que, jusqu'à récemment, les aspects
sociaux tout aussi vitaux, tout comme les méthodes, connaissances, capacités et institutions
essentielles pour les soutenir, sont restés faiblement développés et plutôt détachés de cet effort
transdisciplinaire. De plus, il existe peu de ponts institutionnels qui relient les spécialistes des sciences
sociales aux spécialistes des sciences naturelles spécialisés dans l'évaluation des flux
environnementaux. Il est encourageant de constater qu'un élan important est en train de se
développer dans ce domaine de croissance, pour faire en sorte que les sciences sociales deviennent
un élément central à la fois de la politique et de la mise en œuvre efficace des flux environnementaux.
ABSTRACT
Rivers are socio-ecological systems - lifelines for the wellbeing of millions of people, centres of culture,
and repositories of precious natural capital in every basin worldwide. As water insecurity and the pace
of water infrastructure development intensify, environmental flows have taken the stage as a robust
management approach for sustaining river health, biodiversity and livelihoods. Environmental flows
are intended to describe the quantity, timing, and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater
and estuarine ecosystems and the human livelihoods and well-being that depend on these
ecosystems. Efforts to date have concentrated on establishing, consolidating and scaling up the
cross-boundary science of ecohydrology. Remarkably, until recently, the equally vital social aspects,
and the methods, knowledge, capacity and institutions essential to support them, have remained
weakly developed and rather detached from this transdisciplinary effort. Moreover, few institutional
bridges exist linking social scientists to those natural scientists with expertise in environmental flow
assessment. Encouragingly, significant momentum is now building in this growth area, to ensure that
the social sciences become a central element of both the policy and the practice of effective
environmental flow implementation.
KEYWORDS
Culture, ecohydrology, environmental flows, rivers, social sciences

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1 INTRODUCTION – RIVERS, FLOWS AND PEOPLE

People are at the very centre of river conservation and management. Rivers are recognised as
complex, dynamic and heterogenous socio-ecological systems at multiple spatial and temporal scales,
characterised by many interlinked social and ecological processes and feedbacks. They are lifelines
for the wellbeing of millions of people, centres of culture, and repositories of precious natural capital in
every basin worldwide. All human populations rely on freshwater ecosystems directly or indirectly for
their daily security and wellbeing, from the provision of high quality water supplies and food, to
transport, energy, recreation and a multitude of other services. Without these healthy functioning
systems and the natural assets they represent, many of the water-associated benefits people rely on
would be lost or compromised.
There is now considerable evidence of the global dimensions of the interrelationships between riverine
ecosystem degradation and growing human water insecurity. If river systems are to survive the
intensifying development pressures of the twenty-first century and beyond, including the pace of water
infrastructure development, approaches to their conservation and management are required that are
strategic and policy relevant, innovative, and more rapidly effective. Environmental flows have taken
the stage as a robust water resources management approach designed to help meet this need.
Achieving a more quantitative understanding of ecological and social responses to both natural flow
variability and its alteration by humans is one of the fundamentally challenging goals of environmental
flow practice (Poff et al. 2017).
The Brisbane Declaration of 2007, formulated during the 10th International Riversymposium and
International Environmental Flows Conference held in Brisbane, Australia, highlighted the vital
importance of environmentally sustainable water resources management. It provided the first
internationally widely recognised definition of environmental flows as “the quantity, timing, and quality
of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human livelihoods and
well-being that depend on these ecosystems”. The area of environmental flows has generated a long
history of achievements as an approach to protect and recover aquatic biodiversity, ecosystem
integrity and important ecological services by managing freshwater flow regimes (Poff et al. 2017).
Efforts to date have, however, disproportionately concentrated on establishing, consolidating and
scaling up the cross-boundary science of ecohydrology.
Remarkably, until recently, the equally vital social aspects, and the methods, knowledge, capacity and
institutions essential to support them, have remained weakly developed and rather detached from this
transdisciplinary effort. Moreover, few institutional bridges exist linking social scientists to those
natural scientists with expertise in environmental flow assessment. Encouragingly, significant
momentum is now building in this growth area, to ensure that the social sciences become a central
element of both the policy and the practice of effective environmental flow implementation.
There is growing attention, however, on the social dimensions of environmental flows, from the explicit
inclusion of ecosystem services and their flow-linked dynamics, through to the broader areas of
culture, indigenous water and social justice (Poff et al. 2017, Jackson 2017).

2 ADVANCING ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW IMPLEMENTATION - CONNECTING

RIVERINE ECOSYSTEMS WITH HUMAN COMMUNITIES, CULTURES AND
LIVELIHOODS
Environmental flow practitioners have increasingly called for revision and better integration of various
aspects of the environmental flow cycle, from the determination of environmental flows through to their
implementation. This has led to significant, incremental changes in the environmental flow process.
These changes are discussed in relation to how they have helped build considerable momentum for
greater consideration of the social aspects of environmental flows over time, particularly noticeable
over the past five years. They have included, for example, the emergence and exponential growth of
holistic type methods for determining environmental flows for rivers that incorporate the direct natural
resource and livelihoods dependencies, and traditional knowledge, of local communities on river flow
regimes (Poff et al. 2017). A stronger focus on more structured analysis and applied understanding of
the governance and management systems supporting effective environmental flow implementation at
different scales has also been promoted (Pahl-Wostl et al. 2013). Poff et al. (2017) identified several
growth areas in the science and practice of environmental flows, as well as a number of guiding
elements for their ongoing development, several of which address social aspects. These include, for
instance, the need to explicitly and quantitatively describe both the flow-ecology and flow-social

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relationships that will continue to provide the foundation of environmental water applications. Also
highlighted is the need to engage stakeholders to collaboratively set an environmental water vision
and the objectives that underpin it. Recently too, Jackson (2017) clearly framed the cultural challenge
of environmental water management, with a particular emphasis on the rights and needs of indigenous
people.
A diverse range of case studies across different world regions that have considered social factors in
environmental flow assessment and implementation, including connecting social sciences with
ecohydrology, and which cover a range of different geographic, socioeconomic development, and
governance and management contexts, are described as illustrative examples. These are briefly
examined in terms of the important ways in which they that have influenced and contributed to the
accompanying shifts that have been observed in the policy, science and practice of environmental
flows, from both flow protection and flow restoration standpoints. The key areas common to many of
the environmental flow frameworks in use today are also discussed in the light of novel knowledge
generated by these case studies and current experience, and several new elements are identified that
more effectively incorporate important social considerations.

3 ADVANCING ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE

FUTURE
A decade on from the first international definition of environmental flows, as the pressure for more
widespread and effective flow implementation intensifies, environmental flows have further evolved to
even more explicitly recognise the vital roles of river water flows and levels in supporting human
cultures, economies, sustainable livelihoods, and well-being. As a result, a revised Brisbane
Declaration and Global Action Agenda on environmental flows are currently under discussion and
development in 2018, including a revised definition of the scope of environmental flows. There is an
accompanying urgent call for action to protect and restore environmental flows for rivers (and other
aquatic ecosystems) for their intrinsic values for people and nature, biological and cultural diversity,
and ecosystem services, as a central element of integrated water resources management. It is
recognised that such action is an essential element of the foundation for achievement of the water-
related Sustainable Development Goals in the future. Particular emphasis is given to the social and
cultural dimensions of environmental flow management, from full and equal participation of all cultures,
to respect for their rights, responsibilities and systems of governance in environmental water
decisions.
It is evident that a new socio-ecological moment has opened-up for environmental flows that is more
appropriate for and in tune with the social and environmental contexts and pressures now facing
society. It is one of shared visions, innovation and transdisciplinarity in research, collaborative
implementation programs, and adaptive governance and management of environmental water. The
architecture of the international network of environmental flow practitioners is evolving rapidly in
response, fostering increasing awareness, knowledge exchange and interaction between the
ecohydrological and social disciplines and communities.

LIST OF REFERENCES
Jackson, S. (2017). How much water does a culture need? Environmental water management’s cultural challenge
and indigenous responses. In: Water for the Environment: From Policy and Science to Implementation and
Management (Eds.) A.C. Horne, J.A., Webb, M.J. Stewardson, B. Richter and M. Acreman. Elsevier,
Cambridge, MA, 173–188.
Pahl-Wostl, C., Arthington, A., Bogardi, J., Bunn, S.E., Hoff, H. Lebel, L., Nikitina, E., Palmer, M., Poff, L.N.,
Richards, K., Schluter, M., Schulze, R., St-Hilaire, A., Tharme, R., Tockner, K. and Tsegai, D. (2013).
Environmental flows and water governance: managing sustainable water uses. Current Opinion in
Environmental Sustainability, 5, 341-351.
Poff, N.L., Tharme, R.E. and Arthington, A.H. (2017). Evolution of environmental flows assessment science,
principles, and methodologies. In: Water for the Environment: From Policy and Science to Implementation and
Management (Eds.) A.C. Horne, J.A., Webb, M.J. Stewardson, B. Richter and M. Acreman. Elsevier,
Cambridge, MA, 203-236.

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