Nina Hagemann

Capacity development as a key factor for integrated water resources management (IWRM): improving water management in the Western Bug River Basin, Ukraine

There is growing consensus in the global water community that the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is only the starting point in the IWRM implementation process. This paper proposes that special attention should be drawn to well-elaborated and adapted Capacity Development (CD). It is argued that measures for solving existing water problems can only be sustainable and effective, if the knowledge generated about possible solutions is deeply rooted within the originating region. General guidelines for CD and knowledge transfer are elaborated, and these constitute the basis for region-specific CD strategies as exemplified in the Ukrainian Western Bug River Basin, one of five model regions within the International Water Research Alliance Saxony (IWAS). As a first step towards improving river basin management, situation analysis and capacity assessment are undertaken to evaluate social and political circumstances, identify relevant stakeholders, existing competencies, and antici- pated difficulties in establishing an operational IWRM and appropriate tailor-made measures are proposed. The experiences gained during this process indicate that neither IWRM nor CD can be expected to stand alone when considering sustainable development in water resources management.

Final Report on the Project 'Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation (SoCo)'

In 2007, the European Parliament requested the European Commission to carry out a pilot project on ?Sustainable Agriculture and Soil Conservation through simplified cultivation techniques? (SoCo). The SoCo project was designed in a close cooperation between the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in form of an administrative arrangement (AGRI-2007-336). It has been implemented by the JRC?s Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) and Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES). The overall objectives of the SoCo project are: (i) to improve the understanding of soil conservation practices in agriculture and their links with other environmental objectives; (ii) to analyse how farmers can be encouraged, through appropriate policy measures, to adopt soil conservation practices; and (iii) to make this information available to relevant stakeholders and policy makers EU-wide. This report synthesises the findings of the SoCo project and translates them into conclusions and recommendations. It reviews soil degradation processes, soil conservation practices and policy measures at European level. The analysis is taken to the local scale by means of ten case studies distributed over three macro-regions. Aggregated environmental benefits of adopting particular soil conservation practices are explored with model calculations. Finally, the report discusses the effectiveness and efficiency of instruments for soil protection, maintenance and improvement in Europe, exploring opportunities and critical issues linked to the adoption of conservation practices. The report closes with policy-relevant conclusions as a basis for policy recommendations.

The river basin as a new scale for water governance in transition countries? A comparative study of Mongolia and Ukraine

While various studies on river basin management (RBM) in industrialized and developing countries exist, limited attention has so far been paid to RBM in transition countries, i.e., countries that move from a centralized socialist system to democratic, decentralized and market-based structures. However, given that transition countries are characterized by fundamental changes in their political and economic setting, they amend themselves to the study of the role of both institutional design and contextual factors in the institutionalization of RBM. Against this background, this paper analyzes similarities and differences in the institutionalization of RBM in Mongolia and Ukraine and asks how they can be explained. The paper finds that while the two countries are converging in terms of the model of the river basin organization (RBO) adopted, they differ significantly in detailed institutional design and dynamics. The differences in institutional design are likely to influence the effectiveness of RBM in both countries. The differences in design and dynamics can be understood if contextual factors such as the severity of the water problem, economic conditions, the overriding governance context and the role of various actors are taken into account. The results show that not only is the detailed design of RBOs crucial for successful implementation of RBM, but also problem pressure as well as the broader governance and economic context.

The role of institutional and legal constraints on river water quality monitoring in Ukraine

For achieving any kind of river basin management, monitoring is a pre-requisite: However, for monitoring to be successful, the broadly applicable legal and policy mechanisms for facilitating data exchange, public participation, implementation and compliance must also be present. Ukraine as a member of several international agreements directly concerning management and protection of freshwater, and other broader environmental agreements indirectly affecting transboundary water management, aims to improve its national water management framework by introducing river basin management. This paper examines current gaps between Ukrainian water legislation on RBM and EU and other relevant international water law. Specifically, the paper shows how far monitoring requirements have been fulfilled and identifies shortcomings. The following deficits in river water quality monitoring exist in Ukraine which are (1) biological data are not sufficiently collected by the authorities and (2) monitoring of hydromorphology is not systematically conducted. Taking into account the current political and economic crisis, the paper proposes a short-term oriented solution which is to entrust the River Basin Administrations with more tasks, because they have experience in monitoring, they are directly linked with the State Agency for Water Management that is in charge of implementing IWRM and they are allowed a basic budget for financing staff. But in the long run strategies are to be developed that secure proper monitoring with effective standards and resources for authorities who take over these tasks.

Costs of Implementing Agricultural Soil Protection Policies—Insights from Two German Cases

Abstract Transaction costs (TCs) are often claimed to be a key determinant of how policies are actually implemented on the ground and what effect they ultimately deliver on soil quality and functions. Focusing on agriculture-related soil protection policies in Eastern Germany, we analyse data from key informant interviews in two case study areas (Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt) in order to provide new evidence that TCs do indeed matter for policy implementation. We systematically map TCs that occur at the policy implementation and operation stages and their drivers. Our data showed that in addition to TCs for ‘information management’ and ‘coordination’, existing frameworks need to be extended to explicitly consider TCs for ‘enforcement’. Results illustrate that there is a broad range of TCs that are due to the complexity of soils and their management, property rights assignment and administrative processes. To some extent TCs in one policy arena can be reduced; however, often they are only superseded in place and time and, moreover, there are trade-offs between different kinds of TCs. The paper emphasizes that every assessment of effective policy implementation requires a specification of TCs and over what time frame they occur.

Insights Regarding Transdisciplinarity and Knowledge Transfer Gained from Two Case Studies on Integrated Water Resources Management in Ukraine and Mongolia

Abstract Transdisciplinary environmental research (TD research) seeks to solve problems arising at the point of interaction between ecological systems, the economy, and society. It seeks to enhance problem-solving capacity through interdisciplinarity and knowledge transfer between scientific and non-scientific actors. The article assesses how far the prerequisites for knowledge transfer are met in transdisciplinary projects on integrated water resources management (IWRM), particularly in post-socialist transition countries. It examines two relevant case studies, in Ukraine and Mongolia, which share a similar institutional and cultural background, and use some of the same methods closely related to knowledge transfer. It is shown that, in each case, knowledge transfer was achieved more or less effectively in both directions — from science to society and vice versa, despite the additional obstacles posed by a common post-socialist legacy. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations for designing and implementing similar TD research projects in the field of IWRM.

Supporting decisions in water management by exploring information and capacity gaps: experiences from an IWRM study in the Western Bug River Basin, Ukraine

Abstract Key problems of Integrated Water Resources Management refer to interactions between various levels, scales and existing coordination gaps, such as inadequate governance structures and insufficient knowledge and capacities. In this study we describe a management framework that aligns model-based systems analysis with capacity assessments suggesting a concept for improving cross-scale interactions and thus for overcoming both, water-related pressures and coordination gaps. In the study we (i) identify the missing link between technical development approaches and capacity development, (ii) outline interrelations between environmental pressures on aquatic systems and capacity and information gaps in a transparent way, and (iii) introduce a practice-relevant method to combine model-based system planning with capacity assessments for deriving management options that support water management actors in reducing pressures and gaps. The results of the integrated analysis are made explicit by introducing a matrix approach that is inspired by an existing framework to systematically differentiate water quality-related pressures (cf. Blumensaat et al. 2013). The approach confronts pressures and gaps and so jointly addresses technical issues, institutional challenges, organizational development, information needs, and human resources development. The concept supports a transparent decision making process by identifying knowledge and capacities required for the implementation of corresponding technical intervention options and vice versa. The application of the method in the International Water Research Alliance Saxony model region ‘Ukraine’ is illustrated to demonstrate the added value as a boundary object between scales that is supporting actors in streamlining model-based planning and capacity development.

Herausforderungen einer nachhaltigen Bioökonomiepolitik

Um den Pfadubergang zu einer Biookonomie zu ermoglichen und gleichzeitig deren Nachhaltigkeit zu sichern, spielt der politische Steuerungsrahmen eine zentrale Rolle. Der Beitrag diskutiert zentrale Herausforderungen der Politikgestaltung.

A Governance Framework for a Sustainable Bioeconomy: Insights from the Case of the German Wood-based Bioeconomy

Increasing the sustainability of economic processes and products requires a path transition from the present, predominantly fossil resource-based “throughput economy” towards a renewable resource-based circular flow economy. The bioeconomy concept can contribute to such a transition. However, an adequate governance framework is necessary not only to overcome the current carbon lock-in and create fair competitive framework conditions for bioeconomy processes and products (enabling function), but also to ensure the sustainability of an increased use of bio-based resources (limiting function). At the same time, achieving a path transition is challenging due to, inter alia, interacting market failures which distort allocation decisions, and uncertainties about the economic, environmental and socio-economic impacts of different bio-based production pathways. Moreover, transitioning to a new “upper state” sustainability equilibrium requires a corresponding politico-economic equilibrium in markets for regulation that allows for the provision of necessary transition policies. In this chapter, we discuss the challenges of establishing an effective governance framework for the bioeconomy. Furthermore, focusing on the case of the German wood-based bioeconomy, we analyse how the enabling and limiting governance functions have been implemented in practice. Based on this, we identify scope for improvements. In particular, the case study highlights the important role that policies have to play in establishing fair competitive framework conditions for bioeconomy applications, fostering innovation and safeguarding sustainability. While existing measures remain fragmented and insufficient to initiate a path transition, gradually developing them further may contribute to a dynamic that stimulates demand for more far-reaching transition policies on political markets.

Teaching Energy Poverty

In many European countries, rising energy prices and depleting resources decrease the affordability of electric and heat energy for poor households (e.g. Scarpellini et al. 2015; Kolokotsa and Santamouris 2014)). The topic has been taken up in parts of the political arena in Europe following the UK’s example (Bouzarovski et al. 2012),especially in those countries where the affordability of energy has decreased drastically, such as in Greece (see Vatavali and Chatzikonstantinou in this volume) or Bulgaria, where skyrocketing energy prizes contributed to the fall of the government in 2013 (Parkinson, 2013). As Grosmann et al. (2014) and Haas (in this volume) show, the political debate in other countries such as Germany did not focus on the problems of households being overburdened by energy costs.