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"Urban water conservation is typically achieved through prescriptive regulations, including the rationing of water for particular uses and requirements for the installation of particular technologies. A significant shift has occurred in pollution control regulations toward market-based policies in recent decades. We offer an analysis of the relative merits of market-based and prescriptive approaches to water conservation, where prices have rarely been used to allocate scarce supplies. The analysis emphasizes the emerging theoretical and empirical evidence that using prices to manage water demand is more cost-effective than implementing non-price conservation programs, similar to results for pollution control in earlier decades. Price-based approaches also have advantages in terms of monitoring and enforcement. In terms of predictability and equity, neither policy instrument has an inherent advantage over the other. As in any policy context, political considerations are important"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site

The availability of fresh water affects public health and living standards around the globe, yet water resources are being rapidly depleted by unsustainable human activities. Strained freshwater resources will perpetuate unless the public is made aware of the severity of water scarcity issues. Audience segmentation, used frequently by environmental communicators to target unreached groups, is a social marketing strategy that segments audiences with shared characteristics to inform the development of effective communication messages. The purpose of this study was to determine characteristics of audience segments based on their level of water conservation behaviors. An online survey of the United States general public captured levels of water conservation behaviors based on how consumers prepare to vote on policy and intent to engage in water conservation behaviors. Cluster analysis resulted in two audience segments: lower water conservation and higher water conservation. Further analysis indicated significant demographic differences between the segments. The lower water segment presented less education, more moderate or conservative political beliefs, and lower family income levels than the higher water segment. Communication messages for the lower water segment should align with these characteristics, including using less scientific verbiage, linking moderate and conservative perspectives with water conservation, and emphasizing economic gain/loss.

Afdeyu is an Eritrean village located about 30 km north of the country's capital, Asmara, in the highlands of Eritrea. In 1984, CDE established a research station in Afdeyu to study the effects of different traditional and introduced soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies on soil erosion. The initial approach focused on the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). Later on it was adapted according to the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). For over 20 years, CDE has been running the Afdeyu research station together with the Ministry of Agriculture. Collaboration continued with the Eritrean Ministry of Agriculture after the country became independent in 1991. At present, CDE is still supporting the research unit based on a comprehensive backstopping mandate. Several parameters, mainly biophysical, have been measured continuously ever since the research station came into operation. Part I of this report presents an overview of the research approach and methodology used, and describes how experiments were implemented. In addition, it traces programme adjustments through time and gives a problem-oriented critical review of the general social, political and economic conditions. Part II lists the collected data, indicating their availability status and problems encountered during collection and encoding. Information is structured in the following chapters: Soils; Climate; Land use and crop production; Soil erosion and water conservation on different plot levels; Social and economic data. Each chapter offers general analyses and results (mainly based on annual and monthly means) for all recorded parameters.

British Columbia has set a goal of meeting half of new municipal water needs through conservation by 2020, and residential water consumption represents over half of municipal water demand. This report discusses the state of residential water conservation in BC Municipalities, and presents recommendations to improve conservation across the province. A critical finding is the dearth of publicly available, standardized data surrounding water use and conservation in British Columbia. This report calls for the BC Government, Environment Canada, Local Governments and Researchers to address this gap by: - Adopting common standards for reporting local government water use - Collecting better data on water use, distribution and conservation through regular surveys - Developing a process for integrating randomized control trials in program effectiveness, and incorporating knowledge transfer in the program review process - Building and coordinating a database to share conservation program reviews, successes and failures This report also analyzes results from the BC Municipal Water Survey 2016 to shed light on how water conservation varies across the municipal community in British Columbia. Findings include: - There exists is a wide variety in average residential water consumption across municipalities, from 200 to 1400 liters per capita per day. - Almost all municipalities have a conservation plan, but there is a large variation in their comprehensiveness. - Having more conservation strategies is associated with lower residential water use. - Larger population size is not associated with lower water use. - Municipalities that are part of a greater water system appear to have lower water use. - Some proven conservation measures, such as normsbased messaging in billing through comparisons with neighbours, can be readily implemented with little extra investment. Limitations of this report include the cross-sectional nature of data, a limited sample size of municipalities, and a lack of randomized control trials in existing evidence. Together, these limitations draw attention to the fundamental challenge for British Columbia with regards to conservation planning: improving the quality, quantity and access to BC-specific data. ; Applied Science, Faculty of ; Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of ; Unreviewed ; Graduate

This Special Issue seeks to offer empirical evidence of the forms of knowledge valued by different actors involved in water conservation practices, the dynamics of cross-fertilization dynamics, and possible tensions that emerge. It investigates knowledge dialogue and co-creation around water conservation through case studies at the local, regional and global levels, and including various types of actors – local and indigenous communities, parish and municipal governments, national governments and private businesses. It draws attention to the diverse voices and knowledge on water that are produced from the Global Souths, including traditionally marginalized actors and approaches.

While economic incentives, technical developments, and government policies and regulations can all contribute to reduce residential water use, householders, on the other hand, can also help lessen overall water demands by using less water. In this study, we look at how to modify people's behaviour to conserve water at home. Using the theory of reasoned action which suggest human behaviour is a construct of subjective norms, and attitude, this study aimed to identify the factors that influences water conservation behaviour in low-income households in South Africa South Africa. The study focused on the Waterloo Township, which is located north of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. This study followed a positive paradigm and employed a descriptive cross-sectional research design and a quantitative survey design with a sample of (n=305). Both descriptive and inferential analysis was used to analyze and present the data. Path analysis using regression coefficient was performed to establish the factors that predict water conservation behaviour. The results suggest that although the knowledge of water conservation was high among the respondents, there was however a negative gap difference (-20.3) between their knowledge (94.4%) and actual behaviour (74.1%) towards water saving techniques. The regression analysis conducted revealed that subject norms were the strongest predictor towards water conservation intentions in the Waterloo LCH. This conclusively suggest that the conceptualisation of water conservation behaviour as a function of attitude and subjective norm may be appropriate in the context of the low-cost housing areas within South Africa.

Increasing water demand in the Aral Sea basin (ASB) challenges policy makers to implement in-time and effective water management measures to mitigate both the on-going and upcoming water crisis in the region. This study examines three important options for addressing the core reasons of aggravated water (ab)use in the ASB. In the first option, sectoral transformations (e.g., economic restructuring) are considered by prioritizing economic activities with relatively high economic growth impacts and low water consumption requirements. In the second option, it is assessed to replace the current administrative water management institutions with more effective market-based water allocation institutions to encourage cooperation among regional water users for attaining optimal basinwide benefits. In the third option, technological and infrastructural improvements are evaluated following an increased efficiency of the irrigation systems and building reservoirs in the upper reaches of the rivers to regulate river flow. The economic restructuring option was analyzed by ranking all economic sectors based on their sustainable economic growth potentials using an environmentally extended input-output model. The forward and backward linkages and the total (direct and indirect) water requirements of the different economic activities were estimated and compared. The results indicated that water demand in the ASB can be reduced by decreasing the production of the water intensive sectors such as agriculture in favor of the development of less water demanding, non-agricultural sectors. Potential effects of replacing the traditional administrative water allocation system with market-based water allocation approaches were examined through an aggregated hydro-economic model. Substantial basinwide economic gains appeared feasible when the trade of water rights among all irrigation zones was allowed in each river basin (the Amu Darya or Syr Darya). Total benefits under restricted water rights trading by permitting the trade only among the regions located within each upstream, midstream, and downstream sub-basins (catchments) is lower than the total economic gains of unrestricted water rights trading but was still higher than total benefits of the option without trading. The results indicated that the availability of additional annual gains ranged $373–476 million USD depending on water availability under an inter-catchment (unrestricted) water trading system. Similarly, additional annual gains of $ 259–339 million USD were predicted under intra-catchment (restricted) water trading. Results also showed that transaction costs of more than $0.05 USD per m 3 of water use rights eliminate the potential benefits of a water trading option. Technical improvements to raise the efficiency of water use and water coordination were analyzed through a disaggregated hydro-economic model. Substantial benefits can be expected from improving irrigation (conveyance and water application) efficiencies in the ASB. According to the results, total basinwide benefits can increase by 20% to 40% depending on basinwide water availability when irrigation system efficiencies are optimized across the basin. The findings also showed that construction of upstream reservoirs as intensely debated by up- and downstream countries in Central Asia does not considerably influence the irrigation water availability if these reservoirs are operated with the objective of providing optimal basinwide benefits. Yet, the risks of flooding related to natural and political calamities and reduced downstream water availability during the period of filling the reservoirs should be evaluated further for a more comprehensive assessment of the infrastructural developments. High risks of using upstream reservoirs as a tool of geopolitical influence and consequent damage on downstream irrigation and environmental systems should not be forgotten as well. ; Modellierung von Strategien zur effizienten Allokation und Schonung von Wasserressourcen im Einzugsgebiet des Aralsees Im Einzugsgebiet des Aralsees (ASB) stellt der steigende Wasserbedarf eine Herausforderung an die Entscheidungsträger dar, zeitnah Maßnahmen für eine effiziente Wasserbewirtschaftung einzuführen, um die derzeitige und zukünftige Wasserkrise in der Region zu entschärfen. Diese Studie untersucht drei wichtige Ansätze, um die grundlegenden Ursachen der sich verschärfenden Wasserbewirtschaftungsprobleme im ASB zu bearbeiten. Die erste Option ist die sektorale Transformation (ökonomische Neuordnung), bei der man wirtschaftliche Aktivitäten mit hoher Priorität versieht, die einen relativ hohen Impuls auf das Wirtschaftswachstum ausüben und einen niedrigen Wasserverbrauch erfordern. Die zweite Option besteht darin, die bürokratischen Wassermanagement-Institutionen durch effektivere Markt-basierte Wasserallokations-Institutionen zu ersetzen, die die Zusammenarbeit zwischen regionalen Wassernutzern fördern, um in Bezug auf das gesamte Einzugsgebiet Vorteile zu erzielen. Die dritte Option beinhaltet die Verbesserung der Effizienz der Bewässerungssysteme und den Bau von Speichern zur Regulierung des Abflusses an den Oberläufen der Flüsse. Die Möglichkeit der ökonomischen Restrukturierung wurde mit Hilfe eines auf die Umweltfaktoren ausgeweiteten Input-Output Modells analysiert, so dass im Ergebnis alle ökonomischen Sektoren im Hinblick auf ihren potenziellen Beitrag zu einem nachhaltigen Wirtschaftswachstum beurteilt und in eine Rangliste gebracht wurden. Hierfür wurden Vorwärts- und Rückwärtsverknüpfungen und die gesamten (direkten und indirekten) Wasserbedarfswerte der verschiedenen wirtschaftlichen Aktivitäten geschätzt und miteinander verglichen. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass der Wasserbedarf im ASB reduziert werden kann, indem die Produktion wasserintensiver Sektoren wie Landwirtschaft verringert wird, während die Entwicklung weniger wasserintensiver Sektoren außerhalb der Landwirtschaft gefördert wird. Mit einem aggregiertem hydro-ökonomischen Modell wurden potenzielle Auswirkungen untersucht, die mit dem Ersetzen des traditionellen administrativen Wasserallokations-System durch Markt-basierte Wasserallokation erzielt werden können. Bedeutende ökonomische Gewinne im gesamten Einzugsgebiet sind erreichbar, wenn der Handel von Wasserrechten zwischen allen Bewässerungszonen in jedem der Einzugsgebiete (Amu Darya oder Syr Darya) erlaubt wurde. Die Begrenzung des Handels von Wasserrechten auf jeweils Untereinheiten der Einzugsgebiete (oberer, mittlerer, unterer Teil) führte zu einem Gesamtgewinn, der zwar geringer ausfiel als im Fall des unbegrenzten Handels aber höher war als bei der Option ohne Wasserhandel. Die Ergebnisse zeigen ein Potential von zusätzlichen jährlichen Gewinnen zwischen 373 bis 476 Millionen USD durch den Handel mit Wassernutzungsrechten im gesamten Einzugsgebieten (zwischen den Untereinheiten) in Abhängigkeit von der Wasserverfügbarkeit. Gleichermaßen ergeben sich zusätzliche Erträge von 259 bis 339 Millionen USD durch den Handel innerhalb von Untereinheiten desEinzugsgebietes. Weiterhin zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass Transaktionskosten von über 0.05 USD/m 3 pro Einheit gehandelter Wasserhandelsrechte die potenziellen Vorteile der Wasserhandelsoption eliminieren würden. Technische Ansätze zur Verbesserungen der Effizienz der Wassernutzung und -koordination wurden mit einem dis-aggregierten hydro-ökonomischen Modell analysiert. Erhebliche Vorteile werden von der Verbesserung der Bewässerungswirkungsgrade (Bewässerungsnetz und Feldebene) im ASB erwartet. Aufgrund der Ergebnisse lässt sich der Gewinn im gesamten Einzugsgebiet um 20 bis 40% steigern (in Abhängigkeit von der Wasserverfügbarkeit), wenn die Bewässerungswirkungsgrade im gesamten Einzugsgebiet optimiert würden. Weiterhin belegen die Ergebnisse, dass die Konstruktion von Speicher an den Oberläufen der Flüsse (wie derzeit intensiv zwischen Ober- sowie Unterliegerstaaten in Zentralasien diskutiert) die Verfügbarkeit von Bewässerungswasser in der Region nicht erheblich beeinträchtigt, wenn diese Speicher unter der Zielvorgabe optimaler Einzugsgebiets-weiter Vorteile betrieben werden. Jedoch sollten mögliche Überflutungsrisiken durch Erdbeben und politische Instabilitäten sowie die verringerte Wasserverfügbarkeit flussabwärts während der Periode der Füllung der Speicher weiterführend untersucht werden, um eine fundierte Bewertung dieser Infrastrukturmaßnahmen zu ermöglichen. Es sollte nicht vernachlaessigt werden, dass die hohen Risiken von Speichern in oberen Bereichen der Einzugsgebiete durch die Nutzung als Instrumente geopolitischer Einflussnahne und aufgrund von Folgen fuer unterliegende Bewaesserungsgebiete sowie Oekoststeme die Vorteile der Speicher bei der infratsrukturellen Entwicklung eliminieren koennen.