The mutable nature of water and the many countries and contexts in which it appears causes there to rarely be a one-size-all solution to most of the challenges that water rights, policy, and practices present.
Strong, well-informed ecosystem management strategies are essential for the water resources’ long-term viability.
In order to manage these transboundary resources, UNEP International Waters has learned that it is necessary to understand the challenges that shared ecosystems face at all scales. All UNEP policy recommendations are based on data, and UNEP's International Waters initiatives use data to support nations in their efforts to monitor and manage their aquatic environments by strengthening national capability, sharing best practices, and building national capacity.
By identifying and mapping the issues strategically, UNEP IW can create a site-specific action plan. Often these plans involve liaisons with governments and civil society to help coastal and island states and nations develop and implement marine spatial planning and coastal zone management. These planning tools reflect an ecosystem-based, holistic, integrated, participative approach that allows UNEP IW to build appropriate area-based management strategies. Stakeholders can have articulated, quantitative, and time-bound metrics at all scales; national, regional, and global.
As climate change becomes more severe as well, a science-based approach to catastrophe risk management and planning for events such as floods, droughts, and coastal protection, will become more critical.
