17. Developing Factors for Socio-Ecohydrological Resilience

All life relies on water. The abundance, scarcity, and capacity of hydrological systems impact resilience and vulnerability of social and ecological systems everywhere. Socio-ecohydrological systems encompass this convergence. Resilience theory provides a structured way of defining these systems, developing factors, and identifying points of strength and vulnerability. Defining these systems and the influential factors driving them is necessary in order to understand system behavioral response to stresses. This fundamental knowledge of a system can then be used to inform any potential disaster risk reduction. Comprehensive methods of evaluating resilience help support decision-making and water resources management. Two approaches are presented. One approach presented is an internal assessment in which the system is defined using a resilience lens, and another is an external assessment in which the resilience of the system is evaluated after the system framework has been developed. These contrasting approaches to ecohydrological resilience are then implemented in two case studies, Nepal and New Mexico, USA, where diverse conditions exemplify the use of these methods for a range of system conditions and stresses.