Catchments as Asset Systems: a Transdisciplinary Approach for Integrated Water Resources Management

There is a growing recognition that meeting the goal of sustainable water resources management requires improved integrated catchment management (ICM) and novel conceptualisations of catchment systems and of their processes (Hester et al., 2013, Macleod et al. 2007, Toit 2005). The new paradigm of ICM transcends sectorial boundaries (Nafi et al. 2014). Therefore, there is a need for approaches that enable the integration of policies, science and implementation measures.
In these grounds, the talk explores how the synthesis of methods and tools from a spectrum of disciplines can serve as a mechanism to reintroduce catchments as complex asset systems. The holistic and structured modelling type approach allows for the interactions and interdependencies between the natural and built capital of the catchment to be mapped and studied and the integration of ecosystem services in water resources planning.
The novel and transdisciplinary modelling schema serves as a mechanism for the water industry to integrate natural capital in their portfolio and make a step towards fulfilling their resilience duty (Defra 2016, OFWAT 2015). It enables water companies to face their current challenges in terms of their asset management practices, environmental compliance and economic planning.