VIU Lecture | Human-Nature Interaction in Water Systems: Nexus and Environmental Diplomacy Approaches

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 - 5 pm (CET)
Online event - via Zoom

Animesh Gain, Research Fellow at Università Ca' Foscari Venezia

The event is open to the public.
Registration is required.

The physical dimensions of water such as quantity, quality, and ecosystems are inextricably linked with human dimensions e.g. values and norms, economics, institutions, and governance. They are often studied and managed separately, without considering the interlinkages.

The VIU Lecture will present various case studies of human-nature interaction in freshwater systems in the following four areas:
- social-ecological systems
- alteration of freshwater ecosystems
- management paradigms
- water diplomacy approach.

In order to analyze the evolution of coastal floodplain management, Dr. Gain will describe Elinor Ostrom’s approach to the social-ecological system framework. In an assessment of the human alteration of freshwater ecosystems, the importance of variation of river flow will be critically evaluated. Several integrated management approaches that play a crucial role in water governance will be presented, such as integrated water resources management (IWRM), water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus (WEFE), and water security. Finally, the mutual gain negotiation and water diplomacy approach for resolving complex water management will be discussed.

The VIU Lecture is held on the occasion of World Water Day 2022, Groundwater - Making the Invisible Visible.

Speaker:

Dr. Animesh Gain is Research Fellow at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. As a Marie-Curie Global Fellow, he worked at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As a Principal Investigator, funded by the European Commission, he is currently working on understanding and resolving transboundary water conflicts through water diplomacy approach and mutual gain negotiation. Dr. Gain's area of interest is in the broader field of environmental sustainability with a particular focus on human-nature interactions, sustainable development goals, climate change adaptation, environmental governance and diplomacy, water resources management, and coastal/delta management.