Skip to main content

Environmental and Ecological Flows for Sustainability

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Clean Water and Sanitation

Synonyms

Compensation Flows; Conditioning Flow Conservation Flows; Ecological Flows; Environmental Flows; Maintenance Flows; Reserve Flows

Definitions

In the abundant literature on the subject, there are synonymous terms of environmental and ecological flows conceptually intermixed, such as: compensation flows, environmental flows, conditioning flow, maintenance flows, ecological flows, reserve flows, between others, which generate a high degree of uncertainty, especially when it comes to applying to multidisciplinary works. Other authors suggest the term ecological flow for having clear connotations, both for the general public and for technicians, politicians, and water managers (Alcázar 2007; Agualimpia 2015).

Ecological flows are defined as the water that is left running in a fluvial ecosystem or the flow that is released within it, with the specific purpose of managing the condition of the ecosystem. Failure in the management of flows has led to the deterioration in the structure...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Acreman M (2016) Environmental flows – basics for novices. WIREs Water 3:622–628. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agualimpia Y (2015) Flows of conservation of the fluvial ecosystems in the rivers Cuya and Frío. PhD thesis, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technological University of Havana José Antonio Echeverría, Cujae, Havana

    Google Scholar 

  • Agualimpia Y, Castro C (2012) Responsible use of fluvial water resources. Hydraulic Environ Eng Magaz 33(3):18–32. ISSN 1815-591X. José Antonio Echeverría Higher Polytechnic Institute, Cujae, Havana, Cuba

    Google Scholar 

  • Alcázar J (2007) The basic flow method for the determination of maintenance flows. Application to the basin of the Ebro. PhD thesis, School of Agricultural Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida

    Google Scholar 

  • Alonso PE, Gómez Ma A, Saldaña P (2007) Requirements to implement environmental flow in Mexico. Editorial IMTA-Alianza, WWF/FGRA-PHI/UNESCO-Semarnat. ISBN 978-968-5536-96-7. Jiutepec, Morelos

    Google Scholar 

  • Arthington AH, Bunn SE, Poff NL, Naiman RJ (2006) The challenge of providing environmental flow rules to maintain fluvial ecosystems. Ecol Appl 16:1311–1318. ISSN 1051-0761. Washington DC, United States of America

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arthington AH et al (2018) The Brisbane declaration and global action agenda on environmental flows. Front Environ Sci 6:1–15. Article 45. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00045

  • Barchiesi S, Davies PE, Kulindwa KAA, Lei G, Martinez Ríos del Río L (2018) Application of environmental flows with benefits for society and different wetland ecosystems in river systems. Ramsar Policy Note No. 4. Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Gland

    Google Scholar 

  • Bovee KD, Lamb BL, Bartholow JM, Stalnaker CB, Taylor J, Henriksen J (1998) Flow of habitat analysis using the incremental in-stream flow methodology, Information and technology report of the US Geological Survey. Biological Resources Division. ISSN 1081-292X. USGS/BRD-1998-0004, 131pp. ISSN 1081-2911. Washington DC, United States of America

    Google Scholar 

  • Díez-Hernández JM (2005) Ecological flows as a basic instrument for the environmental management of water in Colombia. J Colomb Assoc Biol Sci 0(17):9. ISSN 0120-4173. Bogotá DC, Colombia

    Google Scholar 

  • Díez-Hernández JM (2008) Evaluation of ecological requirements for the design of environmental parameters of fluvial flows. J Eng 28:15–23. ISSN 0121-4993. University of Los Andes. Bogotá DC, Colombia

    Google Scholar 

  • Endesa Chile (2011) Introduction to the calculation of ecological flows, Analysis of current trends. Editorial Empresa Nacional de E.ectricidad S.A., Endesa Chile. ISBN 978-956-8191-11-5. Santiago

    Google Scholar 

  • García D, González M (1998) The concept of ecological flow and criteria for its application in Spanish rivers. In: Memories of the Symposium on Ecosystem Water Management: a commitment to life, September 1998, Zaragoza. Extracted from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265870260_EL_CONCEPTO_DE_CAUDAL_ECOLOGICO_Y_CRITERIOS_PARA_SU_APLICACION_EN_LOS_RIOS_ESPANOLES in April 2018

  • González R, Banderas AG (2015) Methodologies for the calculation of environmental and environmental factors in rivers regulated by dams, Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), 262pp. ISBN 978 607 9368 37 1. Jiutepec, Morelos

    Google Scholar 

  • King JM, Tharme RE, de Villeers MS (2008) Environmental flow assessments for rivers: manual for the building block methodology, Report of the Water Research Commission N°: TT 354/08, 364pp. ISBN 978-1-77005-721-0. Unit Freshwater Research, University of Cape Town

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez Y, Villalejo VM (2020) Environmental flows: ecohydrological tool for integrated management of water resources. Hydraulic Environ Eng Magaz XLI(1):56–70. Technological University of Havana “José Antonio Echeverría”, Cujae, Havana, Cuba. ISSN: 1815-591X

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Economy of Mexico (2012) Determination of the ecological flow in hydrological basins, Norma Mexicana NMX-AA-159-SCFI-2012, Mexico City. Extracted from http://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/166834/NMX-AA-159-SCFI-2012.pdf in August 2017

  • Poff NL, Allan JD, Bain MB, Karr JR, Prestegaard KL, Richter B, Sparks R, Stromberg J (1997) The natural flow regime: a new paradigm for river conservation and restoration. Bioscience 47:769–784. ISSN 0006-3568. Oxford University Press, London

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Secretary of Economy of Mexico (2012) Determination of the ecological flow in hydrological basins, Norma Mexicana NMX-AA-159-SCFI-2012, Mexico City. Extracted from http://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/166834/NMX-AA-159-SCFI-2012.pdf in August 2017

  • Tharme RE (2003) A global perspective on the assessment of environmental flow: emerging trends in the development and application of environmental flow methodologies for rivers. River Res Appl 19:397–441. ISSN 1535-1459. Wiley Inter Science, Washington DC

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Australian Water Partnership (2018) A guide to managing water for the environment. A framing paper for the High Level Panel on Water. ISBN 978-1-921543-35-7 (Online)

    Google Scholar 

  • World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (2019) Guidance on Environmental Flows. Integrating E-flow Science with Fluvial Geomorphology to Maintain Ecosystem Services. WMO – No. 1235

    Google Scholar 

  • World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (2010) Ecological flow: Health to the environment, water for people, Factsheet October 2010: (Water), WWF Mexico and Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte IAP, Mexico City. Extracted from: http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/fs_caudal_ecologico.pdf in April 2017

  • World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (2011) Guide for the determination of ecological flow in Mexico, Systematization of Experiences of the Alliance WWF-Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte IAP, WWF Mexico and Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte IAP, Mexico City. Extracted from: http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/fs_caudal_ecologico.pdf in April 2017

Download references

Acknowledgments

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Raymundo Carlo Rodríguez Tejeda .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Rodríguez Tejeda, R.C., Valdés, Y.M. (2021). Environmental and Ecological Flows for Sustainability. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Clean Water and Sanitation. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70061-8_115-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70061-8_115-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70061-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70061-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics