Presented by IWMI's Chris Dickens at a workshop entitled “River Health and the SDGs”, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 22, 2017. . The workshop was a plenary at the 7th The South African Development Community (SADC) River Basin Organizations (RBOS) & Energy-Food Nexus Workshop organised by the SADC.

1. River Health
and the SDGs
Chris Dickens IWMI
c.dickens@cgiar.org
Photo: Chris Dickens / IWMI

2. WHAT IS ECOSYSTEM HEALTH?
• Ecosystem health can be measured
using:
– Habitats e.g. sediments, channel shape
etc
– Biological components e.g. fish,
invertebrates, diatoms, riparian vegetation
can all be used to describe ecosystem
health.
• Describe natural condition
• Measure present condition
• Document the change from natural
Photos: Chris Dickens / Mark Graham

3. EXAMPLES - SOUTH AFRICA
24-May-17 3
• NAEHMP (National Aquatic Ecosystem
Health Monitoring Programme) – River
Health Programme
Dickens & Thirion, 2011

4. RIVER HEALTH IN THE W.CAPE
24-May-17 4
Dickens & Thirion, 2011

5. ORANGE-SENQU AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM HEALTH

6. OKAVANGO - BOTSWANA

7. LESOTHO ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS

8. WATER MANAGEMENT
24-May-17
Dickens & Thirion, 2011
8
Photos: Chris Dickens (IWMI) and Umgeni Water

9. ENVIRONMENTAL WATER REQUIREMENTS OF THE
LIMPOPO

10. Ecosystems and society
Healthy ecosystems provide services
that society is dependent on
Photo: Chris Dickens / IWMI

11. Photo:DavidBrazier/IWMIPhoto:TomvanCakenberghe/IWMIPhoto:DavidBrazier/IWMIPhoto:DavidBrazier/IWMI
Historical flows
Current flows
Future flows
Hydrology
Geomorphology
Hydraulics
Water quality
RIVER TYPE
HYDROLOGICAL
STATISTICS
SOURCES/STRESSORS
(Location of multiple
source/stressors)
ENVIRONMENT
PEOPLE
LOCAL COMMUNITIES
OTHER BENEFICIARIES
BIOLOGICAL
COMPONENT
PHYSICAL CONTENT
HABITATS
(Location of multiple
receptors)
SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL ENDPOINTS
(Location of ranked impacts to endpoints)
Floodplain non-woody plants (grazing)
Medicinal plants for people
Edible plants for people
Protection of fish for the ecosystem
Reeds
Protection of the riparian ecosystem
Protection of the river benthos
Domestic water (drinking and washing)
Fish stocks as food for people
Recreational/spiritual use
Woody plants (fuel, construction)
Building sand supply from instream
ECOSYSTEMS AND WATER IN THE LESOTHO HIGHLANDS

12. 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
17 SDGs for people-planet-prosperity-peace-partnership
12

13. www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
AMCOW
• The Africa Monitoring and
Reporting System has been
developed by AMCOW
• Designed for African Water
Vision 2025 and the Africa
Agenda 2063
• 42 out of 54 Member states
contributed data to a 2016
survey report
• Reporting on 58% of the
indicators
• Covers SDG Goal 6, 7.2-3,
11.5, 13.1 and 15.1

14. Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6
14
11.5
Disasters
6.4
Water use
and
scarcity
6.5
Water
manage-
ment
6.3
Waste-
water and
water
quality
6.6
Eco-
systems
6.1
Drinking
water
6.2
Sanitation
and
hygiene
6.a and 6.b
Cooperation
and
participation
Sustainable Development Goal 6
Goal: “Ensure availability
and sustainable
management of water and
sanitation for all”

15. Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6
15
Target 6.6 Water-related ecosystems
“By 2020, protect and restore
water-related ecosystems,
including mountains, forests,
wetlands, rivers, aquifers and
lakes”
6.6.1 Change in the extent of
water-related ecosystems over
time
Indicator 6.6.1 seeks to provide data and information to
enable management and protection of water-related
ecosystems so that ecosystem services, especially
those related to water and sanitation, continue to be
available to society

16. SDG 6.6.1 CHANGE IN EXTENT OF WATER-
RELATED ECOSYSTEMS OVER TIME
Resulting
state/health of
ecosystems
(6.6.1.d)
Spatial Extent of
water-related
ecosystems
(6.6.1.a)
Quantity of
water in
ecosystems
(6.6.1.b)
Quality of water
in ecosystems
(6.6.1.c) =
(6.3.2)

17. 17
GW-II LULC and WCR
1975, 1990, 2005
Complexe du Bas
Loukkos (Morocco)
Change in spatial extent over time
1973/1978 20051987/1990

18. 6.6.1.B WATER QUANTITY
• Rivers
• Lakes
• Reservoirs
• Groundwater (next
phase)
Photos: Chris Dickens / IWMI

19. www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Basics of SDG 6.3.2 on water
quality
In the last step, the indicator is expressed as the percentage of waterbodies with “good” water quality:
𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 6.3.2 =
𝑛 𝑔
𝑛 𝑡
× 100 =
1
3
× 100 = 33.3%
In this example, 33.3% of waterbodies have “good” water quality
Percentage Compliance
per Core Parameter
River 1 River 2 River 3
Station 001 Station 002 Station 003 Station 004 Station 005
DO 70 90 90 70 90
EC 100 100 100 100 100
pH 100 90 90 100 80
OP 0 90 80 10 40
TON 70 100 100 100 100
% Compliance per Station 68 94 92 76 82
% Compliance per Waterbody 68 93 79
Waterbody
Classification
NOT GOOD GOOD NOT GOOD

20. SDG 6.6.1.D ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
To be reported in
future years
Resulting
state/health of
ecosystems
(6.6.1.d)
Spatial Extent of
water-related
ecosystems
(6.6.1.a)
Quantity of
water in
ecosystems
(6.6.1.b)
Quality of water
in ecosystems
(6.6.1.c) =
(6.3.2)
Photo: Chris Dickens / IWMI

21. www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Roll-out of the
SDGs
• Goal 6 indicator methods
were drafted from 2014-
2017
• Distributed globally in May
2017
• First data expected by
September 2017
• Support and webinars will
be available for each of the
Goal 6 indicators
• Webinar for Indicator 6.6.1
on ecosystems within the
next two weeks
• UN Water web site for Goal
6 www.sdg6monitoring.org
Photo: Mark Graham

22. THANK YOU!
Photo: Chris Dickens / IWMI