FS 3.176: Water Scarcity and Governance Approaches

Water use has become an increasingly controversial topic in mountain areas since precipitation patterns are changing massively and natural storing capacities such as ice and snow are being lost under the impact of global warming. With increasing competition among stakeholders for limited water resources, different user groups accuse each other of pursuing one-sided interests, that would lead to the inevitable loss of the livelihood of the entire community in the long term. The need for participatory negotiation and mediation is therefore becoming more and more important. Controversies surrounding strategies for future water use in (intensive) agriculture, winter tourism and energy generation from hydropower are highly emotional with stakeholders applying political, economic, or legal pressure to push decisions in their own interest, rather than addressing the concerns of those affected. But how can infrastructure projects (e.g. the construction of water retention basins and reservoirs for artificial snowmaking, irrigation, drinking water, or hydropower expansion) be designed and implemented to ensure participation of all stakeholders, evidence-based discussion and greatest possible consensus? This session thus aims to bring together the latest findings and debates from hydrology, ecology, geography, economics and social sciences to discuss the environmental risks, profitability and conflict dynamics associated with such infrastructure projects on the one hand, and to elaborate on how participatory and sustainable arrangements for water governance can be achieved on the other.