Water Management Regimes Research Articles

Effective water management practices in irrigated rice to ensure food security and mitigate climate change in a tropical climate

Rice is consumed by billions of people in the world and it is estimated that over 75 percent of the world’s rice is produced using continuous flooding water management practices. Studies indicate that continuous flooding has numerous disadvantages like low water use efficiencies and high emissions of methane. In order to ensure food security faced with the increasing competition for water and also to mitigate climate change, it is desirable to propose alternate water management practices to farmers. A study was carried out in Cameroon to compare the performance of local varieties of rice under different water management practices. The objectives were to: evaluate the effect of different water management practices on the growth and yield of three local rice varieties; and to determine the effect of various water management practices on the water use efficiency and water productivity of irrigated rice. Four water management regimes (continuous flooding maintained at a depth of 3 cm, intermittent flow at depths of, 3, 5 and 7 cm) and three local rice varieties were tested in a split-plot design with three replicates. The main plot factor was water management regime and the sub-plot factor, variety. The study indicates that the various water management practice do not significantly affect plant height (p>0.05). The varieties were significantly different in plant height (p<0.05). There was a significant (p<0.05) interaction between water management regime and variety on plant height. Between 39 and 47 % of the irrigation water used under continuous flooding as is practiced by most farmers in sub-Saharan Africa can be saved by the adoption of intermittent irrigation at 3-5 cm depth. The water use efficiency in intermittent irrigation with an application of 3 cm is about 100 % greater than that in continuous flooding irrigation with the same depth. For intermittent irrigation with a depth of 5 cm, the improvement is about 80 %. Intermittent irrigation produces yields which are not significantly different from continuous flooding irrigation but with a water use efficiency of up to 100 % higher. Intermittent water application with a depth of 3 cm had a water productivity of about 88 % higher than that obtained with continuous flooding irrigation. Intermittent irrigation with applied depths of 3-5 cm should therefore be promoted in sub-Saharan Africa to ensure food security while at the same time mitigating climate change through reduced production of methane.

Effect of organic matter amendment, arsenic amendment and water management regime on rice grain arsenic species

Arsenic accumulation in rice grain has been identified as a major problem in some regions of Asia. A study was conducted to investigate the effect of increased organic matter in the soil on the release of arsenic into soil pore water and accumulation of arsenic species within rice grain. It was observed that high concentrations of soil arsenic and organic matter caused a reduction in plant growth and delayed flowering time. Total grain arsenic accumulation was higher in the plants grown in high soil arsenic in combination with high organic matter, with an increase in the percentage of organic arsenic species observed. The results indicate that the application of organic matter should be done with caution in paddy soils which have high soil arsenic, as this may lead to an increase in accumulation of arsenic within rice grains. Results also confirm that flooding conditions substantially increase grain arsenic.

Effect of water management on cadmium and arsenic accumulation by rice (Oryza sativa L.) with different metal accumulation capacities

Water management affects the bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in the soil and hence their accumulation in rice grains and grain yields. However, Cd and As show opposite responses to soil water content, but information, particularly on irrigation, is missing on a field scale. The purpose of the present study was therefore to find a water management regime that can lower accumulation of both Cd and As in grain without yield loss. Two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars, A16 and A159, with different grain Cd accumulation capacities were employed in field plot experiments with four water management regimes comprising aerobic, intermittent, conventional practice and flooded. The dynamics of Cd and As bioavailability in the soil and Cd and As concentrations in roots, straw and grains were determined at the early tillering, full tillering, panicle initiation, filling and maturity stages of crop growth. The lower water content regimes (aerobic and intermittent) mostly led to higher soil HCl-extractable Cd than the higher soil water content regimes (conventional and flooded). HCl-extractable As in contrast was favoured by the higher soil water content treatments. Conventional and flooded irrigation accordingly gave higher plant As concentrations but lower Cd compared to aerobic and intermittent irrigation. Cd concentrations in roots and straw of both varieties increased with growth stage, especially in aerobic and intermittent regimes, while As concentrations in plants showed little change or a slight decrease. As the water irrigation volume increased from aerobic to flooded, brown rice Cd decreased from 1.15 to 0.02 mg kg(-1) in cultivar A16 and from 1.60 to 0.05 mg kg(-1) in cultivar A159, whereas brown rice As increased. Aerobic and flooded treatments produced approximately 10-20 % lower grain yields than intermittent and conventional treatments. Cultivars with low Cd accumulation capacity show higher brown rice grain As than those with high Cd uptake capacity. Of the four water management regimes, the conventional irrigation method (flooding maintained until full tillering followed by intermittent irrigation) ensured high yield with low Cd and As in the brown rice and so remains the recommended irrigation regime.

Bayesian Belief Network to support conflict analysis for groundwater protection: The case of the Apulia region

Water resource management is often characterized by conflicts, as a result of the heterogeneity of interests associated with a shared resource. Many water conflicts arise on a global scale and, in particular, an increasing level of conflicts can be observed in the Mediterranean basin, characterized by water scarcity. In the present work, in order to assist the conflict analysis process, and thus outline a proper groundwater management, stakeholders were involved in the process and suitable tools were used in a Mediterranean area (the Apulia region, in Italy). In particular, this paper seeks to elicit and structure farmers' mental models influencing their decision over the main water source for irrigation. The more crucial groundwater is for farmers' objectives, the more controversial is the groundwater protection strategy. Bayesian Belief Networks were developed to simulate farmers' behavior with regard to groundwater management and to assess the impacts of protection strategy. These results have been used to calculate the conflict degree in the study area, derived from the introduction of policies for the reduction of groundwater exploitation for irrigation purposes. The less acceptable the policy is, the more likely it is that conflict will develop between farmers and the Regional Authority. The results of conflict analysis were also used to contribute to the debate concerning potential conflict mitigation measures. The approach adopted in this work has been discussed with a number of experts in groundwater management policies and irrigation management, and its main strengths and weaknesses have been identified. Increasing awareness of the existence of potential conflicts and the need to deal with them can be seen as an interesting initial shift in the Apulia region's water management regime, which is still grounded in merely technical approaches.

RIPARIAN VEGETATION STATUS AND RATES OF WATER USE FROM SATELLITE DATA

Abstract. Hydrology and water availability are key determinants of the health of riparian vegetation systems, and an understanding of the interactions between vegetation and hydrology is a prerequisite for the maintenance and improvement of these systems under managed water regimes. Changes to natural flooding cycles, caused by the regulation of river flows and irrigation activities, have changed the composition and amount of vegetation, and the distribution of species within riparian areas (Chong and Ladson, 2003; Lawrence and Colloff, 2008). The extent and frequency of flooding cycles are key issues for the health of riparian ecosystems under controlled water management regimes. This paper demonstrates the potential contribution of satellite-based measurements to an improved understanding of the changes in vegetation status of riparian systems, and, also, of their water requirement. Evapotranspiration (ET) and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of the Barmah Forest were derived from satellite imagery over a number of years. NDVI provided a general measure of vegetation status and cover. ET measures provided an indication of the availability of water to the existing vegetation, and an assessment of areas under water-stress (Anderson et al., 2012). Previous work has demonstrated that these indicators provide a comprehensive measure of riparian vegetation status (Sheffield et al., 2011), and estimates of vegetation water requirement (Whitfield et al., 2010a; Sheffield et al., 2011). This paper addresses changes in NDVI and ET rate of major vegetation classes in the Barmah Forest over the period, 1993 – 2008. Measures of ET and NDVI, analysed in conjunction with rainfall and river flow data, provided insights into the response of vegetation to changes in water availability, which may be used to evaluate impacts of management practices and water regime within riparian zones.

The process of innovation during transition to a water saving society in China

To achieve an efficient use and allocation of limited water resources and thus resolve increasing water use conflicts due to fast rising societal water demands, in 2000, the Chinese government started a management strategy of ‘Construction of a Water Saving Society (WSS)’. It is guided by the principle that socio-economic development should consider the carrying capacity of the ecosystem and focuses on institutional innovation, building on the water rights concept. This paper explores the innovation process during the transition towards WSS by investigating the development course of the innovation process during the transition towards WSS, and the adaptive capacity of the existing water management regime underlying the innovation process. Accordingly, an analysis framework consisting of three types of governance activities and factors determining a regime's adaptive capacity was developed, based on the theory of transition management and adaptive governance. The Tianjin and Zhangye WSS experiments were selected for a deep understanding of local innovations. It is revealed that co-evolution of all three types of governance activities that are claimed to be essential for transition has taken place. However, the current adaptive capacity of the regime still needs further enhancement to support the transition towards the desired WSS in China. Finally, some general insights are provided for policy innovations in other political economies.

Comment on “Characteristics and trends in various forms of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) during 1900–2008” by Aiguo Dai

] Dai [2011] (henceforth D11) reported that the PalmerDrought Severity Index (PDSI) is superior to other statisti-cally based drought indices including the StandardizedPrecipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized PrecipitationEvapotranspiration Index (SPEI). D11 argued that given thephysical character of the PDSI water balance model, theindex provides robust estimates of drought severity becauseit takes the preceding conditions into account, in contrast toother drought indices that are based purely on past statisticsof particular climate variable(s). However, D11 has over-estimated the ability of the PDSI to realistically simulate thedistributed soil water balance at large spatial scales, andignored the inherent complexity and multiscalar character ofdrought phenomena, which are related to more than themoisture conditions of the soil. In this comment we discussthe complex characteristics of droughts and the limitationsof the PDSI to quantify drought conditions in a variety ofhydrological systems. We describe the advantages of statis-tically based drought indices including the SPI and the SPEI.ThefactthattheSPIandtheSPEIarenot(anddonotintendtobe) physically based indices is more liberating than con-straining, especially when the physical basis of PDSI can beseriously questioned.[

Role of early vigor in adaptation of rice to water-saving aerobic culture: Effects of nitrogen utilization and leaf growth

Early vigor and rapid canopy development are important characteristics in aerobic rice culture, where they are highly susceptible to soil water deficits. To elucidate the response of rice's vegetative growth to water management regimes, we evaluated the leaf growth and the concomitant nitrogen (N) utilization of nine cultivars grown in flooded and aerobic culture in 2 years. In aerobic culture, the soil water potential at a depth of 20 cm frequently reached −60 kPa in 2007, but remained above −30 kPa in 2008. The average leaf area index (LAI) in the middle of the vegetative growth stage, N uptake and leaf N content per unit leaf area (specific leaf N; SLN) in aerobic culture were comparable to those in flooded culture. However, there was a significant cultivar × water regime interaction in LAI: cultivars with higher LAI during the vegetative growth stage achieved higher yield in aerobic rice culture. IR72 and Takanari (high-yielding cultivars of flood-irrigated rice) showed poor leaf growth as well as lower N uptake and higher SLN in aerobic culture compared with flooded culture. Our results show that early vigor is closely associated with yield stability to the soil moisture fluctuations in aerobic rice culture, even if weeds are properly controlled. Greater N uptake from aerobic soil and better balancing between the N demand for leaf growth and the N supply to the leaves under fluctuating soil moisture would be, at least in part, relevant to a rice cultivar's adaptation to aerobic conditions.

Different farming and water regimes in Italian rice fields affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal soil communities

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) comprise one of the main components of soil microbiota in most agroecosystems. These obligate mutualistic symbionts colonize the roots of most plants, including crop plants. Many papers have indicated that different crop management practices could affect AMF communities and their root colonization. However, there is little knowledge available on the influence of conventional and low-input agriculture on root colonization and AMF molecular diversity in rice fields. Two different agroecosystems (continuous conventional high-input rice monocropping and organic farming with a five-year crop rotation) and two different water management regimes have been considered in this study. Both morphological and molecular analyses were performed. The soil mycorrhizal potential, estimated using clover trap cultures, was high and similar in the two agroecosystems. The diversity of the AMF community in the soil, calculated by means of PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) and 18S rDNA sequencing on clover trap cultures roots, was higher for the organic cultivation. The rice roots cultivated in the conventional agrosystem or under permanent flooding showed no AMF colonization, while the rice plants grown under the organic agriculture system showed typical mycorrhization patterns. Considered together, our data suggest that a high-input cropping system and conventional flooding depress AMF colonization in rice roots and that organic managements could help maintain a higher diversity of AMF communities in soil.

An Evaluation of Plant Selections and Irrigation Requirements for Extensive Green Roofs in the Pacific Northwestern United States

Extensive green roofs are a challenging environment for most plants, and this has typically limited the available plant palette. However, some functional goals for green roofs such as wildlife habitat require a broader spectrum of plant species from which to choose. In addition, pronounced seasonality in rainfall is a common climatic trait throughout much of the world; yet, few studies have evaluated green roof plant selections or the need for supplemental irrigation in a seasonally dry climate. In a field trial conducted in the Pacific northwestern United States, we evaluated the performance of eight taxa during establishment and under three different water management regimes post establishment: 1) non-irrigated; 2) irrigation based on green roof–specific water conservation guidelines for Portland, OR; or 3) the minimum irrigation required to maintain good plant condition. Plants were regionally available and represented a range of growth forms (succulents, shrubs, grasses, bulbs, and rhizomes) and potential functional attributes (habitat quality, aesthetic quality, and stormwater management proficiency). All eight species had generally high survival over the establishment year, although hardy iceplant (Delosperma cooperi) and common woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum) experienced some overwinter mortality. Species differed in the timing and absolute amount of growth during establishment. However, when the strong effect of initial size on growth was taken into account using analysis of covariance, there were no remaining differences between species in the relative magnitude of growth during establishment. During the summer following establishment, irrigation regime had significant effects on survival and growth, but these varied across taxa. Irrigation had no effect on survival or growth of the succulents hardy iceplant and ‘Cape Blanco’ broadleaf stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium) and the bulb small camas (Camassia quamash). For the other taxa, plant survival and growth generally decreased with decreasing irrigation and many species did not survive at all without irrigation. Several species, particularly the grass roemer's fescue (Festuca idahoensis var. roemeri) and the shrub ‘Lasithi’ cretan rockrose (Cistus creticus ssp. creticus) suffered aesthetically under low irrigation, partly reflecting adaptive responses to drought stress. Weed pressure was high on bare substrate and was enhanced by irrigation, but weed pressure was negligible following canopy closure across all water regimes. These results suggest that succulents, bulbs, and rhizotomous forbs have potential for use on extensive green roofs in seasonally dry climates even without supplemental irrigation. Designing extensive roofs composed of more diverse growth forms will likely require some amount of supplemental irrigation. This study highlights the need to design context-specific green roofs that match appropriate plant selections with explicit functional goals and management plans. This will improve function and reduce the overall costs associated with maintenance.

The potential impact of climate change on groundwater‐fed wetlands in eastern England

ABSTRACTWetlands are fragile ecosystems that provide a range of useful functions. However, such ecosystems have been experiencing persistent pressures and stresses from a range of socio‐economic drivers in the last few centuries. In the 21st century, changes in global climate are expected to have impacts on hydrological and water supply regimes, which will in turn impose additional pressures on wetlands. Consequently, the need for quantitative methods to evaluate the likely impact of climate change is essential if appropriate conservation strategies and integrated water management regimes are to be developed. In this paper, a methodology is presented to evaluate the implications of potential climate change on groundwater‐fed wetlands underlain by an unconfined limestone (Chalk) aquifer in eastern England, one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the UK. A daily weather generator, a recharge model and a groundwater model have been coupled to investigate the most extreme consequences of future climate change as described by the UKCIP02 ‘high’ greenhouse gas emissions scenario. Simulations showed that a declining trend in wetland water levels could result in loss of species with a small tolerance to dry conditions by the end of the 21st century. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Adaptive Water Management and Policy Learning in a Changing Climate: a Formal Comparative Analysis of Eight Water Management Regimes in Europe, Africa and Asia

ABSTRACTThis article provides an evidence‐based and policy‐relevant contribution to understanding the phenomenon of policy learning and its structural constraints in the field of river basin management, in particular related to coping with current and future climatic hazards such as floods and droughts. This has been done by a formal comparative analysis of eight water management regimes, by using multi‐value qualitative comparative analysis, focusing on the relationship between regime characteristics (as explanatory variables) and different levels of policy learning (as output value). This research has revealed the importance of the socio‐cognitive dimension, as an essential emerging property of complex adaptive governance systems. This socio‐cognitive dimension depends on a specific set of structural conditions; in particular, better integrated cooperation structures in combination with advanced information management are the key factors leading towards higher levels of policy learning. Furthermore, this research highlights a number of significant positive correlations between different regime elements, thereby identifying a stabilizing mechanism in current management regimes, and this research also highlights the necessity of fine‐tuning centralized control with bottom‐up approaches. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Effect of irrigation, transplant age and season on growth, yield and irrigation water use efficiency of the African eggplant

An experiment was set up to investigate the physiological growth and development response of different transplants of the African eggplant (Solanum macrocarpon L.) to varying irrigation water management regimes in the rainy and dry production seasons. Six (6) and 4 week-old transplants of the crop were cultivated in pots and treated to reduced irrigation (80% crop water requirement, CWR), optimum irrigation requirement (100% CWR) and over irrigation (120% CWR) in both cultivation seasons. Differences in plant height, leaf production, canopy spread, leaf area, and fresh and dry root weights of the crops were evaluated to determine the response of the transplants to the different irrigation treatments. It was observed that crop physiological growth and development was progressively enhanced with increasing irrigation from the reduced irrigation of 80% CWR to the 120% CWR regime where 20% more water was applied over the optimum irrigation requirement. Effect of the irrigation regimes, transplant age and their interaction were mainly significant in the dry season. Some physiological growth parameters also recorded some significant differences in response to the different treatments in the rainy season. The 6 week-old transplants gave the best physiological growth performance suggesting that transplanting Solanum macrocarpon at the appropriate age (6 week-old) with adequate irrigation resulted in higher quality leaf production, taller plants, wider crop canopies, broader leaves and adequate root development. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) in marketable and edible yields increased with decreasing irrigation water application and was highest at the 80% CWR and least at the 120% CWR. The 6 week-old transplants showed slightly higher water use efficiency than the 4 week-old transplants. Application of appropriate irrigation water management strategies in the dry season, where water is limited, and supplementary irrigation in the rainy season has the potential to promote vegetative growth, crop physiological development and stabilize income of farmers.

Effects of water management and organic fertilization with SRI crop practices on hybrid rice performance and rhizosphere dynamics

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of intermittent versus continuous irrigation, together with different degrees of organic fertilization, on the growth and yield of hybrid rice, looking also at the functioning of the rhizosphere as this is a key element affecting crop performance. The crop management practices employed generally followed the recommendations of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). The aim of the research was to learn how water management and organic fertilization together would affect crop outcomes. Under intermittent water application as recommended with SRI management (aerobic irrigation, AI), grain yield increased by 10.5–11.3%, compared to standard irrigation practice (continuous flooding, CF). The factor that contributed most to higher yield was increased number of grains per panicle. It was seen that under the range of organic fertilization treatments evaluated, intermittent irrigation compared with CF promoted greater dry matter production and higher leaf area index (LAI) during the main growth stages. Also, the combination of intermittent irrigation and organic material applications significantly increased soil redox potential (Eh), compared with CF, and also the numbers of actinomycetes in the rhizosphere soil. Actinomycetes were evaluated in this study as an indicator of aerobic soil biota. It was seen that with intermittent irrigation, the application of organic material improved the functioning of the rhizosphere and increased yield. However, these results based on 2 years of study reflect relatively short-term effects. The effects of longer-term water management and soil fertilization regimes should be also examined, to know whether these effects continue and, if they do, whether they become greater or less.

Effect of ammonium-based, non-sulfate fertilizers on CH4 emissions from a paddy field with a typical Chinese water management regime

Abstract The effects of ammonium-based, non-sulfate fertilizers, such as urea and/or ammonium phosphate (NH4H2PO4), on methane (CH4) emissions from paddy rice fields deserve attention, as they are being used increasingly for rice cultivation. A four-year field campaign was conducted in the Yangtze River Delta from 2004 to 2007 to assess the effects of different application rates of urea plus NH4H2PO4 on the CH4 emissions from a paddy rice field. The experimental field was under a typical Chinese water regime that follows a flooding-midseason drainage-reflooding-moist irrigation mode. Over the course of four years, the mean cumulative CH4 emissions during the rice seasons were 221, 136 and 112 kg C ha−1 for nitrogen addition rates of 0, 150 and 250 kg N ha−1, respectively. Compared to the treatment without nitrogen amendments, the 150 kg N ha−1 decreased the CH4 emissions by 6–59% (P

Coping with change: responses of the Uzbek water management regime to socio-economic transition and global change

▶ Changes in water management after independence have been limited despite severe pressures. ▶ Adaptation process is slowed down by lack of vertical integration and strong centralization. ▶ Informal networks and the social capital embedded in them prevent needed changes. Water management in Uzbekistan (Central Asia) is facing tremendous challenges. They are rooted in past and present environmental degradation, the socio-economic transition after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the impacts of climate change. The Uzbek government has initiated reforms in the agricultural and water sectors to steer the socio-economic transition and address the threats of increasing water scarcity and decreasing agricultural productivity. However, despite the urgency of the problems and massive international assistance changes to the water management regime have only been minimal so far. In this paper we identify major structural barriers for adaptation of the water management regime through an analysis of two recent policy processes. Both processes address pressing water management issues such as “coping with extreme events” and “providing water for ecosystems”. They were analyzed using the Management and Transition Framework as well as a group model building exercises with stakeholders on the national, regional and local levels. The analyses reveal a lack of vertical integration across administrative levels of the formal system and a still prevailing strong centralization of water management. Moreover the water management regime is strongly influenced by informal institutions that shape the outcomes of policy processes. The interactions guided by informal institutions provide an informal link between different administrative levels of the regime. However, those informal networks and the social capital embedded in them rather prevent needed changes. The resulting combination of top down institutional change initiated by socio-economic transition and bottom-up consolidation of the existing status quo via informal processes and networks prevents social learning. It also slows down an adaptation process that potentially could lead to a transition towards a more adaptive regime.

Analyzing complex water governance regimes: the Management and Transition Framework

▶ Conceptual and methodological framework for analysis of water system transitions. ▶ Comparative analyses of multi-level water governance and management regimes. ▶ Analysis of requirements for adaptive and transformative capacity. This paper presents the Management and Transition Framework (MTF), an interdisciplinary conceptual and methodological framework supporting the analysis of water systems, management processes and multi-level governance regimes. It serves to improve the scientific understanding of system properties and to give practical guidance for the implementation of transition processes towards more adaptive systems. Doing so requires a systemic perspective to embrace complexity and the wealth of interactions characterizing resource governance regimes. The MTF supports and provides guidance for an interdisciplinary approach in the social sciences and across the social–natural science interface. The framework integrates a range of concepts to develop a more coherent understanding of the complexity of water management regimes. Specific emphasis is given to adaptive capacity and learning processes. However, the MTF is not linked to one specific theory but provides a language that can be tailored to specific research questions and different theoretical approaches. The structured yet flexible approach is a condition for developing shared databases that allow comparative analyses over a wider range of case studies. The MTF does not promote panaceas but a diagnostic approach supporting context sensitive analysis without being case specific and thus not directly transferable.

Finding general patterns in complex water governance regimes

The requirements for sustainable governance of environmental resources in general, and of water in particular, have been a topic of continued concern (Holling and Meffe 1996; Gleick 2003; Pahl-Wostl 1995, 2007). This ongoing debate has been fueled by prospects of climate and global change that render the conditions under which governance has to perform increasingly unpredictable (Bates et al. 2008). Globalization exhibits breath taking dynamics and leads to large-scale changes with unprecedented speed. Climate change and the concomitant increase of extreme weather events have exposed vulnerability of water resource governance and management regimes (Pahl-Wostl 2007; Pahl-Wostl et al. 2007; Opperman et al. 2009). At the same time, it is not clear how to achieve effective water governance, and many problems have not primarily been associated with the resource base but have to be attributed to governance failures. Improving our understanding of how to achieve water governance is of paramount importance. There is increasing recognition that simplistic panaceas like privatization or decentralization as one-fit-all solutions to any governance problem are highly inappropriate (Ingram 2008; Ostrom 2007; Pahl-Wostl 2009). The papers in this special issue make a contribution to develop more general insights into governance approaches based on empirical evidence from a comprehensive assessment of case studies. They are based on papers given at the Conference on Adaptive and Integrated Water Management, which was the first major international scientific event from and for the social science water community. The authors use different approaches from standardized comparative analysis to the in depth exploration of a single case study applying a general conceptual framework. All contributions explore the need to address complexity, the role of institutional diversity and the involvement of actors. The paper by Huntjens et al. (2010) on ‘‘Climate change adaptation in European river basins’’ contains an assessment and standardized comparative analysis of the water management regimes in four case studies in three European river basins. This comparative analysis has an explorative character intended to identify general patterns in adaptive and integrated water management and to determine its role in coping with the impacts of climate change on floods and droughts. Despite its explorative character, the analysis offers very interesting insights. As expected from conceptual considerations (Pahl-Wostl 2007, 2009), the analysis showed a strong interdependence of the elements within a water management regime. For example, a lack of joint/ participative knowledge is an important obstacle for cooperation or vice versa—the two mutually dependent regime elements that were found to be of key importance. Furthermore, the research suggests that bottom-up governance is not a straightforward solution to water management problems in large-scale, complex, multiple-use systems, such as river basins. Instead, all the regimes analyzed were identified to be in a process of finding a balance between bottom-up and top-down governance. This is a clear indication of the need of a more balanced view of the interplay between different processes. The contribution of Nikitina et al. (2010) on ‘‘Towards better water governance in river basins: some lessons learned from the Volga’’ focuses on the problems of water C. Pahl-Wostl (&) Institute for Environmental Systems Research, University of Osnabruck, Osnabruck, Germany e-mail: Pahl@usf.uni-osnabrueck.de

Assessing spatial and temporal population dynamics of cryptic species: an example with the European pond turtle

Within the current context of biodiversity loss a number of biodiversity indicators have been developed to help measure the state of nature and how it is changing. However, most indicators are derived from bird populations. Reptiles and amphibians could be useful ecosystem indicators, but this requires obtaining precise and unbiased population parameters. This is a particularly challenging task for these two groups of species, because individuals are extremely difficult to detect for various reasons. We illustrate the use of a sampling and analytical method that explicitly takes into account imperfect detection to assess the population dynamics of a reptile species and its temporal and spatial variation. European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) were sampled at two different locations during a 10-year study. The two sites differed by their water management regimes and number of livestock. At each site and for each sex, the data were modeled using a robust design capture-mark-recapture framework to obtain and compare estimates of survival, temporary emigration, time-specific abundance, density, and population growth rate, while taking into account effects of individual heterogeneity, trap-response, and time on capture probabilities. Temporary emigration was higher in males (0.344 +/- 0.046) (mean +/- SE) than in females (0.228 +/- 0.071), did not differ between sites for each sex, and was mainly Markovian. Apparent adult survival was higher in females (0.966 +/- 0.031) than in males (0.864 +/- 0.024), and was negatively related to the proportion of individuals with repaired shell fractures in the population. Average density was 63.7 +/- 6.6 turtles/km2 but was higher for females (39.2 +/- 14.0 females/km2) than for males (23.5 +/- 5.7 males/km2). The population sizes of males and females decreased where long periods of artificial drought and the highest density of livestock occurred. This research highlights differences in demographic parameters according to sex and site in a turtle species, and it provides evidence that significant human-induced disturbance represents a potential risk to European pond turtle populations. The sampling and analytical approaches illustrated in this study are applicable to many other species of reptiles and amphibians, and estimated population parameters could be combined to produce population indicators useful for conservation and management.

Capacity attributes of future urban water management regimes: projections from Australian sustainability practitioners

Transitioning to more sustainable urban water management is widely accepted as an essential societal objective. While there has been significant progress in developing technical solutions to the challenges faced, numerous barriers remain at the regime level, indicating that further investigation into the regime is required. This paper reports on a social research project aimed at identifying capacity attributes of a more sustainable urban water management regime. Attributes were identified for the administrative and regulatory framework, inter- and intra-organisational and individual regime spheres. Over 125 urban water practitioners specialising in sustainability in Sydney and Melbourne were interviewed to identify the attributes of a more sustainable regime. The attributes reveal that a sustainable urban water management regime emphasises learning, diverse policy tools and institutional arrangements, together with interaction among stakeholders and professional disciplines. The interaction is characterised by respect, trust and mutual understanding. The sustainable regime attributes are compared to the traditional regime and reveal that while progress has been made towards a sustainable regime, additional improvement is required. Attributes identified across multiple regime spheres indicate potential focus areas for capacity building programs or reform efforts to more effectively enable regime change towards sustainable urban water management.