Management of transboundary catchment areas

Today, water management is widely recognized by industry professionals as being carried out on a watershed scale. Worldwide, there are 276 transboundary watersheds and 445 transboundary aquifers . At the scale of these watersheds, water management involves taking into account a multitude of aspects such as the different uses of the resource, numerous stakeholders with varied interests, legislation at different scales, the division of responsibilities between various structures (ministries, basin commissions, local authorities, etc.) and the involvement of several sectors of activity. Management must be integrated and holistic, in other words, it must take into account these different parameters and their interdependencies. The task becomes even more complex when parts of the catchment area are located in different states, as the boundaries of the catchment area do not necessarily correspond to the administrative boundaries of the states. This additional difficulty calls for the use of new tools to tackle the complexity of water management.

The aim of this article is to provide a general framework for the management of transboundary watersheds, to help decision-makers and water professionals make decisions and take action in such a geographical area. The technical solutions to the problems that can arise in water management are now largely known. However, they are often insufficient on the scale of a cross-border watershed, where the difficulties and complexities arise mainly from the managerial and governance framework. This article provides the analytical keys needed to observe environmental changes on the scale of transboundary watersheds, and thus to better manage and protect them. A number of tools and principles are proposed for implementing water resource management adapted to complexity.

The proposed methodological elements are suitable for all complex water projects, whatever their type (infrastructure, awareness-raising, research, treaties, etc.), since simple, routine projects do not require the use of specific methodological tools. The emphasis is on surface water, with a few references to its link with groundwater. These elements will help decision-makers and water professionals :

• to have a global vision of their projects;

• ...