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Interdisciplinary assessment of complex regional water systems and their future evolution: how socioeconomic drivers can matter more than climate
Author(s) -
Reynard Emmanuel,
Bonriposi Mariano,
Graefe Olivier,
Homewood Christine,
Huss Matthias,
Kauzlaric Martina,
Liniger Hanspeter,
Rey Emmanuel,
Rist Stephan,
Schädler Bruno,
Schneider Flurina,
Weingartner Rolf
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: water
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.413
H-Index - 24
ISSN - 2049-1948
DOI - 10.1002/wat2.1032
Subject(s) - vision , sustainability , resource (disambiguation) , socioeconomic status , environmental resource management , scale (ratio) , sustainable development , water resources , water use , environmental science , process (computing) , socioeconomic development , environmental planning , scenario analysis , computer science , geography , business , sociology , political science , ecology , computer network , population , demography , cartography , finance , anthropology , law , biology , operating system
Modeling of future water systems at the regional scale is a difficult task due to the complexity of current structures (multiple competing water uses, multiple actors, formal and informal rules) both temporally and spatially. Representing this complexity in the modeling process is a challenge that can be addressed by an interdisciplinary and holistic approach. The assessment of the water system of the Crans‐Montana‐Sierre area (Switzerland) and its evolution until 2050 were tackled by combining glaciological, hydrogeological, and hydrological measurements and modeling with the evaluation of water use through documentary, statistical and interview‐based analyses. Four visions of future regional development were co‐produced with a group of stakeholders and were then used as a basis for estimating future water demand. The comparison of the available water resource and the water demand at monthly time scale allowed us to conclude that for the four scenarios socioeconomic factors will impact on the future water systems more than climatic factors. An analysis of the sustainability of the current and future water systems based on four visions of regional development allowed us to identify those scenarios that will be more sustainable and that should be adopted by the decision‐makers. The results were then presented to the stakeholders through five key messages. The challenges of communicating the results in such a way with stakeholders are discussed at the end of the article. WIREs Water 2014, 1:413–426. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1032 This article is categorized under: Science of Water > Hydrological Processes Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change Human Water > Water Governance