Trade-offs between human and environment: Challenges for regional water management under changing conditions

Abstract

Water resource systems are under unprecedented pressure mainly due to rapid socio-economic growth, weak water and land management decisions, as well as variability and change in climate conditions. These pressures have disrupted the functionality of freshwater ecosystems and have generated water management challenges in various regions across the globe. Here, we showcase the potential trade-offs in the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada, between upstream human activities and downstream environmental needs under changing water availability conditions. We showed that an increase in irrigation areas can boost provincial economy but alter timing, magnitude and rhythmicity of the peak flows reaching downstream ecosystems. This indicates that the business as usual management might not be able to handle such emerging challenges. To improve water management, we argue that there is a need to better represent the dynamic interactions between human water use and water quantity and quality conditions and their influence on ecosystems. In addition, impact assessment frameworks need to be improved to better identify system vulnerabilities under changing natural and anthropogenic conditions. Moreover, due to the key role of stakeholders in adopting land and water management decisions, their viewpoints need to be understood and included in management decisions.