Integrated management of large rivers and their basins

It has become standard practice to refer to any management of rivers and their basins as “integrated”. The development and use of the concept reflects a growing appreciation of the complexity of river basins as hydrological, ecological, economic, political and social systems. However, the term “integrated management” is used vaguely, and, although the need for a management approach which considers more than a narrow focus on hydrology or economics is widely recognized, there has been concern that the term is often used as camouflage in an attempt of gaining acceptance or funding for a narrowly based project. There has also been discussion about the applicability of river basins as planning units, given that large basins rarely coincide with political units, and the role of, and need for, river basin management organizations. It is clear that the management of water resources and environmental resources generally requires consideration of a broad and increasing range of factors and input from a much wider range of stakeholders than was generally recognized in the past, and a lack of shared objectives as well as both technical and governance challenges inhibit integrated management in many basins. Progress towards integrated management is patchy and it will not be achieved in a single step. Where programs are integrated in name only, that is evidence of incremental progress and even small steps bring benefits.