Management Issues and Strategies

Management Issues and Strategies

Dams and reservoirs

• Examine the hydrological changes resulting from the construction of dams and reservoirs.
• Examine the costs and benefits of dams and reservoirs as part of multi-purpose schemes.

Floodplain management

• Explain the stream channel processes (erosion, transport, deposition) and explain the resultant landforms found on floodplains.
• Examine the human modifications of a floodplain and their effect on the size and probability of floods.
• Evaluate the costs and benefits of alternative stream management strategies.

Groundwater management

• Explain the functioning and management of artesian basins and aquifers, distinguishing between natural and artificial recharge.
• Examine the environmental impacts of groundwater abstraction.

Freshwater wetland management

• Describe the role of wetlands as a water resource.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the management strategies that have been adopted in a major wetland.

Irrigation and agriculture

• Examine the environmental impact of agriculture and irrigation on water quality: salinization, agro-chemical run-off, the pollution of groundwater and the eutrophication of lakes, rivers and wetlands.