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2020 | Book

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Ecosystem Services for Urban Water Security

Concepts and Applications in Sub-Saharan Africa

Authors: Dr. Blal Adem Esmail, Prof. Davide Geneletti

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Book Series : SpringerBriefs in Geography

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

The book addresses the challenges of urban water security and adaptive management in Sub-Saharan Africa, exploring and interlinking novel concepts of ecosystems services, watershed investments, and boundary work. Specifically, the book’s goals are to (i) present a conceptual framework for the urban water sector from an ecosystem services perspective, highlighting the specificities of the Sub-Saharan context; (ii) develop an operational approach to designing and assessing the impacts of watershed investments, based on ecosystem services and boundary work; and (iii) test the approach through a case study in Asmara, Eritrea, and discuss the findings and lessons learned that can be applied in other contexts.

Through a fully worked out case study, from identification of water challenges and opportunities to spatially explicit modelling, the book offers a sound and accessible, coverage of issues and proposed solutions to better operationalize ecosystem services, watershed investments and boundary work, to promote adaptive management, and achieve water security in the context of rapidly developing cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The book is an effective tool for capacity building of diverse stakeholders on the urban water sector, including water managers, local and national policy-makers as well as a suitable resource for both undergraduate and post-graduate courses in planning and geography.

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Table of Contents

Frontmatter

1. Introduction

Abstract

This chapter sets the context of the book by providing a brief account of the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on the urban water sector. Watershed investments are here emphasized as a promising opportunity to effect large-scale transformative change promoting human wellbeing while conserving life-supporting ecosystems. The chapter concludes by illustrating the three specific objectives of the book.

Blal Adem Esmail, Davide Geneletti

2. Linking Ecosystem Services to Urban Water Infrastructures and Institutions

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the urban water sector, including both infrastructures and institutions, from an ecosystem services perspective. Hence, it proposes a conceptual framework intended to highlights the role of urban water sector in (i) linking ecosystem services supply and benefitting areas, (ii) bridging spatial scales ranging from the watershed to the household level and (iii) adopting ecosystem-based responses to water vulnerability. An example of application of the framework is shown using real-life projects of urban water infrastructures in Sub-Saharan Africa. The framework sets a useful background for further analysis of the urban water sector, as presented following chapter focusing on the watershed scale.

Blal Adem Esmail, Davide Geneletti

3. An Operational Approach for Watershed Investments

Abstract

This chapter focuses on Watershed Investments for securing water for cities. It starts with a brief account of the application of ecosystem services for decision-making and a theoretical background of boundary work. Accordingly, it proposes an operational approach developed for designing and assessing impact of watershed iInvestments to secure water for cities. The developed approach distinguishes between a “strategic” and a “technical” component. The strategic component identifies as key inputs of the process of Watershed Investment design and assessment, the definition of objectives and visioning of feasible and desirable scenarios by stakeholders. The technical component applies spatially explicit modelling to design Watershed Investments, hence to model the impacts on selected ecosystem services. The chapter concludes highlighting the potential of the approach to contribute to adaptive management in the urban water sector, by addressing the challenges of linking diverse stakeholders and knowledge system across management levels and institutional boundaries.

Blal Adem Esmail, Davide Geneletti

4. Challenges for Water Security in Asmara, Eritrea

Abstract

This chapter presents a case study of urban water sector selected to apply a novel approach for designing and assessing impacts of Watershed Investments and more generally to explore the challenges of urban water security in a Sub-Saharan Africa context characterized by limited resources. The case is about the city of Asmara—the city capital of Eritrea—and its main water supply, the Toker watershed. The chapter illustrates the main socio-ecological challenges and opportunities for promoting adaptive management in the case study. In particular, to illustrate contextual and contingent factors characterizing the case study, three examples of ongoing soil and water conservation activities are presented. The chapter concludes with a focus on the Asmara Water Supply Department (AWSD), a key stakeholder in the selected case study. Specifically, the AWSD is analysed through an approach for conceptualizing water utilities as “learning organization” and assessing their institutional capacity.

Blal Adem Esmail, Davide Geneletti

5. Designing Watershed Investments for Asmara and the Toker Watershed

Abstract

This chapter presents an application of a novel operational approach for designing and assessing the impacts of Watershed Investments, developed in Chap. 3, to the Asmara and Toker Watershed case study. Assuming urban water security and rural poverty alleviation as two objectives for Watershed Investments, the case study application explores all the steps of the proposed approach. The results of the application include spatially explicit data that allow quantitatively assessing the performance of different Watershed Investment scenarios in terms of changes in a selected ecosystem service, answering to important planning and management questions. The application to the Asmara and Toker Watershed case study also highlights the challenges of addressing stakeholders’ concerns through relevant boundary work strategies.

Blal Adem Esmail, Davide Geneletti

6. Conclusions

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the main messages of the book, as well as discusses the challenges for future research and practice to contribute to achieving water security and to implementing adaptive management in the urban water sector. Briefly, the first main message is that achieving urban water security through adaptive watershed planning and management, in Sub-Saharan Africa context, is a complex issue. Thus, an intuitive and flexible conceptual framework of the urban water sector from an ecosystem services perspective was proposed. It provides an overview of the main challenges and trends that characterize the sector, highlighting the specificities of the Sub-Saharan context, setting the background for further analysis. Second, if properly designed, Watershed Investments can become an important financial and governance mechanism to promote the implementation of adaptive watershed management to achieve urban water security. Third, a good case study application, even if only based on desk research, can serve to inspire stakeholder and possibly prepare the ground for real-life implementation of science-informed measures to promote urban water security alongside other social goals, coordinating ongoing watershed initiatives.

Blal Adem Esmail, Davide Geneletti

Title: Ecosystem Services for Urban Water Security
Authors: Dr. Blal Adem Esmail
Prof. Davide Geneletti
Copyright Year: 2020
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-45666-5
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-45665-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45666-5