Watershed Management as a planning approach
Simple check dams contructed along gully systems in the colluvial zone of watershed of Dana dam, Ethiopia
Image Credit: Schütt, B. and Thiemann, St. 2001
Since the Earth summit 1992 WM has been gaining increasing significance (Förch and Schütt 2004 a).
Watershed Management is an approach which plans natural resource management and rural development (= overall goals of watershed management) on the level of watersheds (= planning unit) (Reimold 1998; Heatcote 1998; Förch and Schütt 2004 b). Watershed planning takes a holistic and integrated approach to problem identification and solution. Watershed-based planning attempts to balance socio-economic, political and environmental objectives (Brady 1996, Randolph 2003 quoted in: Butler 2003).
- What is a watershed? is the first question to be answered in this section
Further questions are:
- Why are watersheds a reasonable planning unit?
- What are the principles of Watershed Management?
- What are the overall effects of Watershed Management?
- What are the objectives of Watershed Management?
- What does Watershed Management comprise?
- What are the constitutive features of the approach?
- Which processes influence Watershed Management?
- How has Watershed Management been developed?