Danube Watch 3/2019 - The Nexus Approach: Guiding Sustainable Policy and Motivating Transboundary Cooperation by Understanding How it is All Connected
The Nexus Approach:
Guiding Sustainable Policy and Motivating Transboundary Cooperation by Understanding How it is All Connected
L and, energy, water and their supported ecosystems are valuable resources. These constitute major sources of food, energy and clean water for those living within the region and beyond. Food, energy and water demands have continued to grow over the years, and the effects of climate change are increasing some of these demands. This is very true of the agriculture sector as a whole. The limited availability and vulnerability of these resources, however, has led to shortages and competition between sectors and users, threatening to affect resource security. Moreover, these resources are all inextricably interconnected, with shortages, overuse and production of one having impacts upon the others, and this relationship is known as a “nexus”.
Importantly, land, energy and water are all largely managed at national levels with varying degrees of trans-boundary cooperative management in place in many parts of larger regions. This is especially true as these resources are mainly managed as singular entities with less consideration of their interplay with and connectedness to other major resources and ecosystems. These inter-linkages between water, energy, land and ecosystem resources are strong in many river basins, including the Sava and the Drina Basins where these have been assessed under the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. Understanding the regional nexus, such as how regional power-grids affect the dynamics of river basins, and how nexus-orientated thinking helps with key basin-wide issues can allow for its effective implementation at differing scales.
Shortcomings in inter-sectoral coordination are a major challenge both on the national and trans-boundary level in countries regardless of economic or development status. In a transboundary setting, like the Danube River Basin, the inter-sectoral, cross-border implications as a result of resource trade, shared ecosystems and basin hydrology reach new complexity as trade-offs and external concerns cause friction between riparian countries with their different interests.
Identifying interrelationships between ecosystem services with the related resources they supply and the institutions that govern them is therefore of the utmost importance. The need to understand integrated issues at the trans-boundary basin level is necessary in order to better identify synergies, prevent potential tensions and inform good governance.
Achieving these goals – reducing negative impacts and highlighting opportunities for cooperation – is the main reason for assessing a water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus, especially regarding the further integration of water policy with other sectoral policies. Additionally, advancing an open and constructive dialogue with key sectoral stakeholders, notably in the sectors of energy and agriculture, is highly beneficial. An accurate assessment of relevant issues then allows for increased (or initiated) international cooperation and coordination at regional and basin levels, further allowing for better nexus management than would be possible at an individual national level. Furthermore, this can lead to a more efficient implementation of existing legal instruments, such as EU directives, UNECE standards and Conventions, the Energy Community acquis and other diverse agreements.
Economic growth in some areas of the Danube River Basin is expected to develop faster than the EU average, most likely leading to vastly increased use of water, land and energy resources in the coming years. This would include an increased use of water for irrigation within the agriculture sector and a possible rise in river transportation which requires that river levels be maintained and that sedimentation is effectively managed. Coupled with additional pressure to develop and expand on hydropower resources because of their status as a low cost, domestic resource with greenhouse gas emissions-reduction potential and a means to meet climate mitigation policy targets, potential pressure on nexus resources will be great. The transition to sustainable energy relies on water resources. As an example, of the Sava riparian countries’ total installed electricity generation capacity, 53% is in the Sava River Basin and relies on its water for production. There is potential to improve yields of certain crops by optimising irrigation, but both predicted increased water demands for agriculture and increased scarcity would affect hydropower generation. Investigation of these issues in the Sava Nexus Assessment in cooperation with the International Sava River Basin Commission built on some Danube-wide modelling work and provides insights for reflecting on the future. What is evident is that the future of agriculture and land use will also transform the basin as a whole.
It is clear that the importance of inter-linkages here should not be underestimated. The negative impacts that result from the isolated management of one resource can spread from one sector to another. It can also lead to a diminished level of cohesion between policies within two sectors to such an extent that the use of one resource can negatively impact both sectors. Inefficiencies or lost opportunities for economic benefits Inefficiencies or lost opportunities for economic benefits could be a drawback but also represent an opportunity for action. The benefits from improved water efficiency and improved energy efficiency are potentially significant as demonstrated by the Danube Learning Partnership. Furthermore, much-needed wastewater treatment can provide both energy and nutrients for agriculture.
Proposed institutional solutions from the Sava Nexus Assessment include further improving the relatively well-developed governance architecture by clarifying roles and responsibilities, particularly regarding the monitoring of basin resources and the application of sustainable development principles in economic and sectoral planning and decision-making. Information solutions include strengthening a shared knowledge base by investing more in monitoring and forecasting. Access to information and the development of guidelines that synthesise good outcomes and harmonise approaches should also be expanded. Infrastructure solutions include refurbishing degraded infrastructure and promoting its multiple and flexible use (e.g. dams, irrigation and drainage systems), and considering green and nature-based alternatives. Expanding and upgrading water infrastructure, such as wastewater treatment plants, while coordinating infrastructure investments in hydropower and other renewable energy sources are also important measures. These solutions should be implemented in conjunction with the protection of natural infrastructure assets like floodplains and wetlands.
The potential benefits of utilising a nexus-orientated approach at a basin or regional level are many and span a range of areas. Economically, it can lead to increased electricity and agriculture production (by optimising water release regimes and improving irrigation systems through coordination and experience exchanged, respectively) and reduced flood and drought damage by strategically planning infrastructure and cooperating in flow regulation. In the Drina Nexus Assessment, quantitative estimation of energy-system benefits of coordinated operation hydropower plants informed an interesting debate, and a follow-up analysis is foreseen to continue the dialogue. Geopolitical benefits, in turn, may include increased cross-border trust because of avoided conflicts and the adoption of cheaper solutions, thanks to the development of connections between experts and officials as well as information sharing. Human and environmental benefits are perhaps most important of all and are expected to include better water quality and ecosystem protection and an increased resilience of local communities to climate change, in large part because of better communication and participation.
While many aspects of a nexus-orientated approach are already being utilised within the Danube River Basin and otherwise encouraged by the ICPDR (e.g. the Guiding Principles on Sustainable Hydropower), there is always room for improvement and expansion. Making clear the complexities of the interconnected relationship between water, food, energy and ecosystems provides a better basis for creating more coherent and synergetic policy proposals and more effectively implementing basin-wide measures across borders, reaching out to the relevant sectors.
