4.2: Water Governance and Challenges II. Water management in alpine tourism resorts: The case of Crans-Montana, in Switzerland (Prof. C. Bréthaut – UNIGE)

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来自 University of Geneva 的课程

Climate Change and Water in Mountains: A Global Concern

18 个评分

University of Geneva

Climate Change and Water in Mountains: A Global Concern

18 个评分

What is climate change ? How are mountain regions affected by the evolution of water resources and their uses ? What kind of risks need to be considered ? Mountains are recognized as particularly sensitive physical environments where intense and rapid changes have in the past, and may increasingly in the future, place pressure on their resource base. In this context, a team of roughly 100 experts worked from 2008 to 2013 for the European ACQWA project (www.acqwa.ch) which was coordinated by the University of Geneva. The primary objectives of the project were to assess the impacts of a changing climate on the quantity and quality of water originating in mountain regions, particularly where snow- and ice melt represent a large, sometimes the largest, streamflow component. A further objective of the project was to determine the potential disruptions to water-dependent economic activities related to the climate impacts on hydrological systems, and to propose a portfolio of possible adaptation strategies. This particular MOOC is inspired by the ACQWA Project and offers a better understanding of climate change, its impacts on the quality and quantity of water in mountain regions and the risks related to changing water resources. From an interdisciplinary perspective, the participation of twenty-five instructors from five different countries (Switzerland, England, South Korea, India and Nepal) and fourteen institutions (UNIGE, RTS, UNIFR, UZH, ETHZ, Meteodat GmbH, WGMS, Imperial College London, Agroscope, République et Canton de Genève, Yonsei University, IHCAP, ICIMOD, SDC, FOEN) highlights the diversity of both theoretical and practical viewpoints related to these issues. By the end of this course, you will be able : - to define the general concept of climate change in mountain regions - to understand the concepts associated with climate change such as adaptation and water governance strategies - to consider the impacts of climate change on water resources in mountain regions - to identify the impacts of climate change on hydropower, agriculture, aquatic ecosystems and health - to enumerate risks that can occur in mountain areas and lead to disruptions in water availability and use. Your acquired knowledge will be evaluated through multiple-choice quizzes at the end of each unit of the course. This MOOC on “Climate Change and Water in Mountain Regions : A Global Concern” was initiated and financed by the University of Geneva, through its Institute for Environmental Sciences. We look forward to you joining us !

从本节课中

Unit 4: Recommendations for Adaptation and Water Governance Strategies

In this module, you will learn about the concepts of social network analysis and adaptive capacities, and the central role they play in the implementation of adaptation strategies and in the reduction of ecosystems vulnerability to climate change. The ecosystems will illustrate the mutual benefits that can occur between actors and mechanisms. Concrete examples and case studies will emphasize the mutual benefits and the mechanisms that can occur in a network of actors and how those interactions can help in reducing natural risk disasters.

4.1: Water Governance and Challenges I. Water governance, a conceptual framing (Prof. C. Bréthaut – UNIGE)4:42

4.2: Water Governance and Challenges II. Water management in alpine tourism resorts: The case of Crans-Montana, in Switzerland (Prof. C. Bréthaut – UNIGE)6:28

与讲师见面

Martin Beniston
Honorary Professor
Institute for Environmental Sciences
Markus Stoffel
Full Professor
Institute for Environmental Sciences

Welcome everyone to this session

that will concern the management of water in tourism areas.

We're here in Switzerland in the middle of Swiss Alps in the Canton of Valais,

a Canton which is well-known for its numerous tourism resorts.

These different resorts are active all year long,

where visitors aim not only to ski during the winter,

but also to benefit from various activities during summer times.

They gather at the same times hotels, rental accommodation,

and secondary residency that are occupied only a few weeks during the whole year.

In consequence, tourism resorts encounter great fluctuation of its population,

including very important peaks of occupancy and therefore,

also great peaks of water consumption.

For example, the resorts as you can see behind me is the resort of Crans-Montana,

that groups together six municipalities

depending mainly for tourism for the local economy.

This case is very interesting,

as Crans-Montana is one of the greatest accommodation capacity in Switzerland.

And actually within two weeks,

the resort sees its population growing massively ranging from 6,000

permanent residents to 50,000 inhabitants during Christmas holidays.

At that time, the tourism resorts population exceed the population of Sion,

the capital city of the Canton of Valais.

Water resources are key for the functioning of tourism resorts.

Sure, water is essential to life.

But there are also numerous tourism activities that

depend from water such as swimming pools,

prediction of artificial snow,

or irrigation of golf courses for example.

In such condition, managing water represent

a very challenging task that implies fluctuation of needs,

difficulties to anticipate the changes,

and the necessity to react quickly.

This is especially tricky when considering the peaks of tourism occur during

winter and summer when there is less water available.

Finally, challenges also concern

the building of relevant infrastructures regarding the distribution,

or the potabilization, the distribution and the evacuation of used water.

Nowadays all this challenges are

reinforced by climate changes that imply on the one hand,

snow precipitation at a higher altitude and

therefore also the needs to produce more artificial snow,

and on the other hand,

this changes provided more extreme weather situation that

put at risk the whole supply of the tourism resorts.

Facing these different challenges,

water governance frameworks must define solutions in order to

ensure greater flexibility and reinforced adaptive capacities.

In this perspective, the case of Crans-Montana is particularly interesting.

First, as I already said,

the resort gather six municipalities.

These six municipalities encounter more or less water availability.

In fact, here, the more touristic municipalities are also the less water rich.

This situation implies the necessity to transfer the water,

to implement water transfers between the different municipalities,

between the municipalities situated at the periphery

of the trees and resorts which are water-rich municipalities,

with municipalities at the center of

the tourism resorts which are water-poor municipalities.

Second, the fact that one resort is divided among six municipalities implies

a great fragmentation and the need for reinforced collaboration among six water services.

Facing these different challenges related to the specificity

of tourism and to the particular institutional setting,

stakeholders implemented a governance system for

the water which is strongly relying on informal arrangements.

In fact, transfer of raw water between

the different municipalities and water services are often done,

thanks to the great collaboration between these water services.

And they are done without any payments or contracts.

By doing so, services reinforced the capacity to adapt the system,

and to react quickly to the evolution of demands.

It shows a great flexibility.

Interacting among water services not technical and or personal basis,

also ensure simplicity of the procedure which would be

much more complicated if involving policy makers for example.

If informal agreements have proven their efficiency regarding the supply of water,

one can't question robustness of such system.

What would happen if one main supplier would refuse to transfer

water or would decide to increase tourism activities on its territory?

In the case of Crans-Montana,

a simple solution has been found,

as sour of the six municipalities will proceed to a fusion by January 2017.

Nevertheless, it is interesting to notice that two municipalities,

playing a major role in the water supply of

the resorts decided not to take part to these agreements,

implying the necessity to renegotiate agreements regarding

the water transfer between the different entities or the tourism resort.

In conclusion, what lessons can be drawn from this case.

Firstly, tourism implies very specific modes of water consumption,

with peaks and great fluctuation of needs.

Therefore water supplies in Montana's tourist regions

represent a great challenge that asks for strong adaptive capacities,

and also innovative governance systems.

Then, this case shows that these difficulties tend to increase with new types of uses,

consuming water such as artificial snow for example,

due to less favorable snow conditions,

due to climate changes.

Finally, it shows the necessity to reflect on relevance and

tailor-made institutional arrangements in order to

reach both flexibility and robustness of the governance system.

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