Premium
Drainage basin morphology: a starting point for balancing water needs, land use and fishery protection
Author(s) -
Lundqvist J.,
Falkenmark M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
fisheries management and ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1365-2400
pISSN - 0969-997X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2400.2000.00185.x
Subject(s) - ecosystem services , environmental science , drainage basin , land use , water resource management , drainage , water resources , ecosystem , environmental resource management , hydrology (agriculture) , geography , ecology , geology , geotechnical engineering , biology , cartography
The drainage basin, including the coastal zone, may be seen as a large‐scale system of interlinked natural resources and ecosystem services which support human activities on land and in the sea. Social and economic activities in the drainage basin have to be consistent with the hydrological and ecological needs for human well‐being. Proper attention must also be paid to the impacts of these factors on ecosystems further downstream. A macro‐scale ecosystem approach to a basin has to consider: (1) direct uses of water both instream and after extraction when pollutants may be added to the return flow; and (2) indirect use of water for agriculture and forestry where the river may be depleted as a result of evapotranspiration from land surface, crops and trees. Both uses have repercussions on the quantitative flow and quality of water, which may damage water‐based instream ecosystem services. The present paper addresses relationships between different types of human intervention in a drainage basin and their consequences. Two analytical models are introduced: (1) a conceptual model which distinguishes between urban and rural water uses, and their respective tools; and (2) a conceptual model for handling spatially ordered land/water use segments subject to different types of interference. Finally, the present paper comments on the need to develop methodologies for cross‐disciplinary dialogue, and for balancing water needs, land use and fishery protection.