Management and governance to address trade-offs between natural and engineered water systems.
Society and the terrestrial water cycle have become closely interconnected through a long history of human interventions, including land cover change, the building of reservoirs and the training of rivers.
The integrated management and governance of this water system is essential if we are to sustain ecosystems as well as the societies that rely on the ecosystem services that these systems provide. Holistic strategies are required to understand, manage and communicate complex interactions and trade-offs between hydrologic ecosystem services and hazards in an increasingly changing and uncertain world.
Such strategies depend on a strong evidence base integrating both monitoring and modelling of the water quality and quantity aspects of the water cycle. Holistic systems analyses have to be based on mechanistic models that enable the testing of adaptation strategies and current and potential future conditions.