SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ASSESSMENT: THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER CASE STUDY

Traditionally, water resource management has been developed using an essentially technical approach. Currently, public opinion on water resource management is formed as a result of growing environmental concerns and social conflicts arising from poorly planned actions. Environmental problems are com...

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Main Authors: Yvonilde Dantas Pinto Medeiros, Ilce Marília Pinto Freitas, Golde Maria Stifelman, Rafael Rodrigues Freire, Jay O´Keeffe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UFBA 2013-03-01
Series:Revista Eletrônica de Gestão e Tecnologias Ambientais
Online Access:https://portalseer.ufba.br/index.php/gesta/article/view/7110
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author Yvonilde Dantas Pinto Medeiros
Ilce Marília Pinto Freitas
Golde Maria Stifelman
Rafael Rodrigues Freire
Jay O´Keeffe
author_facet Yvonilde Dantas Pinto Medeiros
Ilce Marília Pinto Freitas
Golde Maria Stifelman
Rafael Rodrigues Freire
Jay O´Keeffe
author_sort Yvonilde Dantas Pinto Medeiros
collection DOAJ
description Traditionally, water resource management has been developed using an essentially technical approach. Currently, public opinion on water resource management is formed as a result of growing environmental concerns and social conflicts arising from poorly planned actions. Environmental problems are complex and have multiple dimensions, including social and economic. Therefore, the inclusion of a human dimension in integrated assessment methodologies is required for the introduction of new elements to the water management planning process. Environmental water allocation (EWA) is understood as the quantity, quality and distribution of water required for the maintenance of the functions and processes of aquatic ecosystems on which people depend. Within the various holistic assessment methodologies, the Building Block Methodology (BBM) was found to be the most suitable, in the Brazilian context, for maintaining and restoring essential elements of the natural flow regime. This article describes the process of social participation in the environmental flow assessment (EFA) for the Sao Francisco River, and compares it with some of the lessons learned from EFA in other parts of the world. The process involved multiple stakeholders who have conflicting interests. BBM was used to guide the field interviews, to incorporate the empirical observations by the local population and to guide the methodological procedures of the multidisciplinary team. The results of the study indicate the effectiveness of this holistic approach in organizing the elements to be evaluated. It also facilitated important contributions to the establishment of a dialogue between the actors to achieve a better understanding of the multiple aspects involved in the decisions associated with the EWA.
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spelling doaj.art-05efee582e504486b45fcd16a4d8d8202022-12-21T20:47:57ZengUFBARevista Eletrônica de Gestão e Tecnologias Ambientais2317-563X2013-03-011112213010.17565/gesta.v1i1.71104978SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ASSESSMENT: THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER CASE STUDYYvonilde Dantas Pinto MedeirosIlce Marília Pinto FreitasGolde Maria StifelmanRafael Rodrigues FreireJay O´KeeffeTraditionally, water resource management has been developed using an essentially technical approach. Currently, public opinion on water resource management is formed as a result of growing environmental concerns and social conflicts arising from poorly planned actions. Environmental problems are complex and have multiple dimensions, including social and economic. Therefore, the inclusion of a human dimension in integrated assessment methodologies is required for the introduction of new elements to the water management planning process. Environmental water allocation (EWA) is understood as the quantity, quality and distribution of water required for the maintenance of the functions and processes of aquatic ecosystems on which people depend. Within the various holistic assessment methodologies, the Building Block Methodology (BBM) was found to be the most suitable, in the Brazilian context, for maintaining and restoring essential elements of the natural flow regime. This article describes the process of social participation in the environmental flow assessment (EFA) for the Sao Francisco River, and compares it with some of the lessons learned from EFA in other parts of the world. The process involved multiple stakeholders who have conflicting interests. BBM was used to guide the field interviews, to incorporate the empirical observations by the local population and to guide the methodological procedures of the multidisciplinary team. The results of the study indicate the effectiveness of this holistic approach in organizing the elements to be evaluated. It also facilitated important contributions to the establishment of a dialogue between the actors to achieve a better understanding of the multiple aspects involved in the decisions associated with the EWA.https://portalseer.ufba.br/index.php/gesta/article/view/7110
spellingShingle Yvonilde Dantas Pinto Medeiros
Ilce Marília Pinto Freitas
Golde Maria Stifelman
Rafael Rodrigues Freire
Jay O´Keeffe
SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ASSESSMENT: THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER CASE STUDY
Revista Eletrônica de Gestão e Tecnologias Ambientais
title SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ASSESSMENT: THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER CASE STUDY
title_full SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ASSESSMENT: THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER CASE STUDY
title_fullStr SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ASSESSMENT: THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER CASE STUDY
title_full_unstemmed SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ASSESSMENT: THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER CASE STUDY
title_short SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL FLOW ASSESSMENT: THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER CASE STUDY
title_sort social participation in the environmental flow assessment the sao francisco river case study
url https://portalseer.ufba.br/index.php/gesta/article/view/7110
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