Editor’s choice
The status quo approach to addressing challenges in water planning is Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). In the past three decades, IWRM has had a profound impact on water planning practices but has not yielded the level of outcomes required to achieve sustainable water for all, falling short on three levels: space, time and scope. The result has been policies that can inadvertently create conflict or ignore gaps in water management.
Through three new pillars (teleconnections, early ecosystem consideration, multi interest- multi participatory approaches) applied in the Magdalena (Colombia) and Mekong (Asia) watersheds, places where SEI has a presence and has developed a strong reputation and body of work, Water Beyond Boundaries (WBB) will introduce new ways of thinking about sustainable water planning.
Our five-year vision is to respond to the central role of water in the global sustainability agendas by addressing key existing gaps in water management to set it on a more equitable and sustainable trajectory.
WBB will also have an important connection to poverty alleviation and gender and social equity. New analytical tools will enable water planners and policymakers to identify inequalities at multiple scales and dimensions of water use, to identify all stakeholders, and to consider innovative management practices that address inequalities.
SEI will identify and analyse the factors that contribute to reduced water access for women and vulnerable groups. This may include inequalities related to water rights, land ownership, and decision-making. Policies that are environmentally sustainable and equitable require a better understanding of connections beyond the watershed, inclusive participatory approaches, and the water needs of ecosystems. WBB aims to deliver that knowledge and the tools to use it.
WBB infographic: SEI
Perspective / Six key recommendations from the 2023 UN Water Conference for future water management strategies and transformative governance.
Past event / SEI's researchers host a side event during UN Water Conference to share best practices and evaluate next steps to fulfill the Water Agenda.
Perspective / A diverse array of leaders will gather in a rare UN water conference. SEI experts suggest three ways to foster a more water-resilient world.
Feature / SEI uses a tool known as serious games to test water management policies and promote communication among local communities.
Past event / This session will explore narratives on how resilience is built through the transfer of water and water-mediated resources in and out of watershed boundaries.
Feature / The wetlands in the Lower Songkhram Basin of northeastern Thailand provide food and livelihoods for local communities.
Feature / Rural communities in Colombia's Campoalegre watershed struggle to meet basic needs. SEI researchers aim to connect them to policymakers to improve their lives.
Perspective / A single water narrative may lead to misinterpreting specific local challenges. Explore how SEI's Water Beyond Boundaries initiative aims to transform this.
Perspective / Why should we rethink the old boundaries of water governance?
Past event / Join us to co-create a tangible visualization tool to enable more holistic urban water management and advocate for the human right to water and sanitation.
Feature / How can policymakers and analysts chart a path to earlier and better ecosystems consideration in water resource decisions?
Feature / A recent field visit to the Nong Han Lake in northeast Thailand showed the importance of “going beyond the watershed” for improved water management.
Other publication / Virtual presentation for the European Geosciences Union (EGU) led by Héctor Angarita about resource dependencies of the urban system at multiple scales.
Perspective / Handwashing is the most effective way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 provided the poor and vulnerable have access to clean water.
Feature / In a recent webinar, experts weighed in on how water planning can best incorporate the critical uncertainties that pandemics bring.
Feature / SEI's Marisa Escobar, Alison Dyke, and Hector Angarita introduce the new SEI Initiative on Water Beyond Boundaries.
SEI report / This report presents a pathways approach designed to foster collaboration between researchers, practitioners and stakeholders who manage and allocate water.
SEI brief / Wetland ecosystems within the lower Songkhram River basin are under threat; the authors identify critical drivers of change and policy gaps.
SEI brief / SEI is introducing new ways of thinking about sustainable water planning through its Water Beyond Boundaries (WBB) initiative.
Journal article / SEI's Leonie Pearson explains why it is key to move from water government to water governance by involving civil society in Southeast Asia.
Journal article / SEI researchers and Corpocaldas address the challenges of multi-stakeholder participation in watershed management using serious games.
Tool / The Water Evaluation and Planning tool (WEAP) provides a comprehensive, flexible and user-friendly framework for policy analysis in water resources planning.
Project / Bolivia WATCH preparará a las instituciones del país con la información y la capacidad para conectar saneamiento seguro y gestión de cuencas hidrográficas.
Project / SEI is working with the Distrito Metropolitano de Quito (DMQ) to help identify robust adaptation options for the water supply system in Quito, Ecuador.
Program / SUMERNET brings together research and policy partners to engage with water insecurity in the Mekong Region.
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