Moving Toward an Anthropogenic Metabolism-Based and Pressure-Oriented Approach to Water Management

Abstract

Effective and efficient water management systems require a comprehensive understanding of anthropogenic pressures on the water environment. Developing a broader systems perspective and extended information systems is therefore essential to systematically explore interlinks between anthropogenic activities and impaired waters at an appropriate scale. For this purpose, this paper identifies information dilemmas in contemporary water monitoring and management from an anthropogenic metabolic point of view. The European Drivers-Pressures-State of the Environment-Impacts-Responses (DPSIR) framework was used as a basis for classifying and discussing two approaches to water management, namely state/impacts-oriented and pressure-oriented. The results indicate that current water monitoring and management are mainly state/impacts-oriented, based on observed pollutants in environmental monitoring and/or on biodiversity changes in ecological monitoring. This approach often results in end-of-pipe solutions and reactive responses to combat water problems. To complement this traditional state/impacts-oriented approach, we suggest moving toward an anthropogenic metabolism-based and pressure-oriented (AM/PO) approach to aid in alleviating human-induced pressures on the water environment in a more proactive way. The AM/PO ideas can equally be applied to water-centric sustainable urbanization planning and evaluation in a broader context.