A Legal and Institutional Framework for the Analysis of Water and Land Management: A Methodological Tool for River Basin Management

摘要

Achieving and maintaining sustainable use of water and land resources is a major challenge for the world in the 21st century. Of significant concern is the sustainable production of food, maintenance of livelihoods of rural land users and improving the quality and biodiversity of natural resources. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has recognized that in the face of increasing competition over scarce land and water resources in the marginal lands of the South and South East Asian region (SEA) in general, but in the People" s Republic of China (PRC) in particular, there is a need to more adequately understand the role of legal and institutional systems in the management of the land and water resources so that these resources may be used sustainably. The 2001 International Conference on Freshwater noted that law reform, through the introduction of new regulatory frameworks or upgrading the existing ones, remains an under-recognised priority for the upcoming years. It is further acknowledged that environmental law is a fundamental tool for achieving integrated water and land resources management, guaranteeing a participatory process, and tackling issues such as pricing, building partnerships, protecting the environment and achieving sustainable development. The Colombo Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment acknowledged that there are currently many planned and ongoing activities from a global to the local scale, in water, agriculture and environment but new activity is required to build on existing actions, provide a coherent framework for synthesis and interaction and provide coordination on a voluntary, non-directive basis. A more effective understanding and knowledge of the environmental law and institutional framework for water and land management at the local, regional, river basin or national scale, can make a significant contribution to this process, while helping to address the priorities of water and land resources management, including: the implementation of better water and land resources management practices in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, to increase the understanding between agriculture and other water users, particularly environmental uses, to reduce the water use and dependence of agriculture, and to help achieve the sustainable use of land and water and reduce environmental degradation.