WRM3701 Project Latest Year 2026
: Introduction to Water Resource Management
Ecosystem services
The direct and indirect contribution of ecosystems to human well-being, and have an impact on
our survival and quality of life.
Human well-being
The positive physical, mental, and social conditions that arise from provisioning, cultural,
supporting, and regulating ecosystem services.
Provisioning services
Goods that humans use directly (lumber, food crops, rubber, fur, medicinal plants) and often
have a monetary value.
Regulating services
The way that ecosystems regulate important processes such as storing carbon, filtering
pollutants out of air and water, and climate.
Cultural services
The spiritual and recreational benefits that ecosystems provide such as sacred groves and the
aesthetic of landscapes.
Supporting services
The basic ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycles and soil formation, that are needed to
maintain other services.
Water resources
The range of natural waters that occur on Earth, regardless of physical state.
Natural resource management
,The ways in which societies manage the supply of or access to the natural resources upon which
they rely for their survival and development.
How are renewable resources generally managed?
Under some definitions, they are the resources to necessitate management. For example, oil
would not be managed but forests would.
How are nonrenewable resources generally managed?
They are subject to regulation rather than management.
Integrated Water Resource Management
A process which promotes the co-ordinated development and management of water, land and
related resources to maximise economic and social welfare without compromising the
sustainability of ecosystems
World Water Council Report 2023
Aimed to identify and analyze key success stories, faciliate IWRM thinking, and encourage
implementation of sustainble water management at multiple levels and globally.
What are the IWRM principles? (3)
- Social equality
- Economic efficiency
- Ecological sustainability
What is the global status of IWRM implementation? (2)
- Very high to high in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Russia
- Medium high/low in South America, Africa, and the Middle East
Systems Approach
A holistic and disciplined methodology for understanding and solving complex problems by
viewing entities as interconnected wholes within their environment, rather than as isolated
components.
Water, Energy, Food Nexus
Water, energy, and food are linked to one another, meaning that the actions in any one
particular area often can have effects in one or both of the other areas.
How can water-related risks impact food security?
, - Risk: Variable water availability (climate change, regional concentration)
- Impact: Food supply instability → price spikes
How can food-related risks impact water security?
- Risk: Agriculture pollutes water resources
- Impact: Water pollution harming ecosystems
How is energy used for water? (2)
- Treatment
- Distribution
How is water used for energy? (2)
- Extraction and mining
- Fuel processing
How does the WEF Nexus impact ecosystem health?
Once you start impacting one of the 3 with pollutants or stress, the rest crumbles - polluted
surface/groundwater, air pollution, and contaminated food lead to poor ecosystem health.
How does the WEF Nexus impact human health?
Once you start impacting one of the 3 with pollutants or stress, the rest crumbles - food scarcity,
cancer, food poisoning and malnutrition lead to poor human health.
Which industries have water footprints across all stages (raw material, suppliers, operations,
and product use)? (2)
Beverage and Food industries.
Which type of water footprint (blue, green, or gray) is most common across industries?
Grey water.
Virtual water
The volume of water embedded in a product or service, representing the total water required
for its production, processing, and transportation
Aquatic ecosystem integrity
The ability of a body of water and its surrounding area to support and maintain a community of
organisms that has species composition, diversity, and functional organization comparable to
those of natural habitats within a region.
: Introduction to Water Resource Management
Ecosystem services
The direct and indirect contribution of ecosystems to human well-being, and have an impact on
our survival and quality of life.
Human well-being
The positive physical, mental, and social conditions that arise from provisioning, cultural,
supporting, and regulating ecosystem services.
Provisioning services
Goods that humans use directly (lumber, food crops, rubber, fur, medicinal plants) and often
have a monetary value.
Regulating services
The way that ecosystems regulate important processes such as storing carbon, filtering
pollutants out of air and water, and climate.
Cultural services
The spiritual and recreational benefits that ecosystems provide such as sacred groves and the
aesthetic of landscapes.
Supporting services
The basic ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycles and soil formation, that are needed to
maintain other services.
Water resources
The range of natural waters that occur on Earth, regardless of physical state.
Natural resource management
,The ways in which societies manage the supply of or access to the natural resources upon which
they rely for their survival and development.
How are renewable resources generally managed?
Under some definitions, they are the resources to necessitate management. For example, oil
would not be managed but forests would.
How are nonrenewable resources generally managed?
They are subject to regulation rather than management.
Integrated Water Resource Management
A process which promotes the co-ordinated development and management of water, land and
related resources to maximise economic and social welfare without compromising the
sustainability of ecosystems
World Water Council Report 2023
Aimed to identify and analyze key success stories, faciliate IWRM thinking, and encourage
implementation of sustainble water management at multiple levels and globally.
What are the IWRM principles? (3)
- Social equality
- Economic efficiency
- Ecological sustainability
What is the global status of IWRM implementation? (2)
- Very high to high in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Russia
- Medium high/low in South America, Africa, and the Middle East
Systems Approach
A holistic and disciplined methodology for understanding and solving complex problems by
viewing entities as interconnected wholes within their environment, rather than as isolated
components.
Water, Energy, Food Nexus
Water, energy, and food are linked to one another, meaning that the actions in any one
particular area often can have effects in one or both of the other areas.
How can water-related risks impact food security?
, - Risk: Variable water availability (climate change, regional concentration)
- Impact: Food supply instability → price spikes
How can food-related risks impact water security?
- Risk: Agriculture pollutes water resources
- Impact: Water pollution harming ecosystems
How is energy used for water? (2)
- Treatment
- Distribution
How is water used for energy? (2)
- Extraction and mining
- Fuel processing
How does the WEF Nexus impact ecosystem health?
Once you start impacting one of the 3 with pollutants or stress, the rest crumbles - polluted
surface/groundwater, air pollution, and contaminated food lead to poor ecosystem health.
How does the WEF Nexus impact human health?
Once you start impacting one of the 3 with pollutants or stress, the rest crumbles - food scarcity,
cancer, food poisoning and malnutrition lead to poor human health.
Which industries have water footprints across all stages (raw material, suppliers, operations,
and product use)? (2)
Beverage and Food industries.
Which type of water footprint (blue, green, or gray) is most common across industries?
Grey water.
Virtual water
The volume of water embedded in a product or service, representing the total water required
for its production, processing, and transportation
Aquatic ecosystem integrity
The ability of a body of water and its surrounding area to support and maintain a community of
organisms that has species composition, diversity, and functional organization comparable to
those of natural habitats within a region.
