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Arizona: United Nations agency wants more on Upper San Pedro Partnership's approach By BILL HESS 9/24/02 SIERRA VISTA -- After hearing a presentation on the Upper San Pedro Partnership's efforts to solve the area's water issues, a United Nations agency wants more information, according to Holly Richter, The Nature Conservancy's Upper San Pedro program manager. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization wants the partnership to put together a presentation on compact disc about the river and how the local group works in solving the water issues facing the basin, she said. Richter recently briefed representatives from 34 nations on the San Pedro River and the partnership during an international symposium in Sweden. Richter said many people were amazed on how federal, state, local and private organizations have come together to work on the river. The discussion about the San Pedro as part of the Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy, or HELP symposium, included two presentations by members of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy on actions being taken in Mexico, where the river has its beginnings. Besides the San Pedro River, there were presentations about four other basins in Australia, India, New Zealand and South Africa. Richter said water impacts are different in other parts of the world. In some areas the focus is on agriculture, in others climate and conflict are the main concerns. A member of the partnership's technical team, Richter said she was taken by the problems facing India, with its ever expanding population. The Indian government decides how water is used and right now that precious liquid is primarily used for food production leaving water use for humans a secondary priority. It is expected India will overtake China as the most populous country in the world sometime this century, Richter said. Another interesting aspect of the symposium was the discussion of how many water systems go through a number of countries and conflict is possible if one nation decides to divert water flowing through it to the detriment of another country, she said. In many countries, scientists, policy makers and stakeholders are at loggerheads when it comes to water issues, Richter said, adding until the creation of the Upper San Pedro Partnership the local basin faced some of the same problems. What was recognized at the symposium by other countries is that the partnership has a strong collaborative approach which allows for harnessing greater resources meaning funding for research and projects, she said. "That is an important concept for developing countries with minimal funding opportunities." One thing that is recognized around the globe is that local issues have to be solved by local people, Richter added. Another key thing is the need to work with scientists on water issues, bringing them into the process so they and policy makers and stakeholders can come up with programs to benefit everyone. Richter said she and her fellow scientists often talk in their own language. They need to speak to policymakers and others in plain English so everyone understands. During breaks and at other events at the symposium people would come up to her and ask for more information about the partnership, Richter said. Some were impressed by the partnership's work on computer modeling, or as she called them the "what if scenarios," hoping similar work can be done elsewhere in the world. Herald/Review senior reporter Bill Hess may be reached at (520) 458-9440
Ext. 115 or by e-mail to bill.hess@svherald.com. |