Democratizing Water Management in S. Africa: Balancing Use and Protection of Rivers
Democratizing Water Management in South Africa: Balancing Use and Protection of Water Resources
In 1998, four years after South Africa’s first-ever democratic elections, a new National Water Act was created. As a result, South Africa’s water legislation is one of the most forward-looking in the world, and takes advantage of recent scientific developments in ecological water requirements. In 2006, Dr. Evan Dollar was instrumental in developing a pioneering process to classify South Africa’s water resources, balancing sustainable use and development against protection and conservation. The procedures developed for this new classification system represent an innovative approach integrating social, economic and ecological goals of water management in a transparent and democratic manner.
Dr. Dollar will be the keynote speaker at the fourth annual Water Resources Research Conference (Sustainable Waters in a Changing World: Research to Practice). He will provide an overview of the South African water policy context as well as describe the approach used to integrate science into the classification process and decision-making framework. Dr. Dollar trained as a fluvial geomorphologist at Rhodes University in South Africa. His recent research has focused on integrated water resource management and particularly on environmental flows. He is the author of numerous scientific papers, consulting reports and book chapters.
The keynote presentation is free and open to everyone.