Who Are we Measuring and Modeling for? Supporting Multilevel Decision‐Making in Watershed Management

• Published in: Water resources research Vol. 56; no. 1
• Main Authors: Bremer, Leah L., Hamel, Perrine, Ponette‐González, Alexandra G., Pompeu, Patricia V., Saad, Sandra I., Brauman, Kate A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2020
• Subjects: ecosystem services; hydrologic services; modeling; payments for ecosystem services; stakeholder engagement; Watershed management
• ISSN: 0043-1397; 1944-7973
• DOI: 10.1029/2019WR026011

As watershed management programs have become more common globally, so have efforts to support these initiatives through hydrologic modeling and monitoring. However, these efforts are often guided by oversimplified assumptions of how management programs work and the quantity, quality, and type of information needed to support their planning, implementation, and evaluation. Semi‐structured interviews and focus groups with project managers, funders, and participants in three watershed management programs in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil revealed a range of hydrologic modeling and monitoring needs of watershed management programs. We identify five opportunities for hydrologic information to support overlapping management contexts: (1) inspire action and support, (2) inform investment decisions, (3) engage with potential participants, (4) prioritize location and types of activities at regional to national scales, and (5) evaluate program success. Within these opportunities, understanding who will use the information generated and how they will do so is critical to increasing the salience, credibility, and legitimacy of modeling efforts. Hydrologic modeling and monitoring play a small but critical role in the larger context of program conceptualization, design, implementation, and evaluation; grounding these efforts in local contexts supports watershed management projects in relevant and effective ways. Plain Language Summary Active land management for a variety of benefits, including sustaining and enhancing clean and ample water supplies, is becoming more common worldwide. To achieve these ends, watershed management programs need the support of hydrologic data and models, but promising efforts by the hydrologic community often go unused when the information program managers need is not well matched to modeling efforts. We interviewed a wide range of participants in water management programs in Brazil and found five key areas where modeling and monitoring can support these programs: (1) inspire action and support, (2) inform investment decisions, (3) engage with potential participants, (4) prioritize location and types of activities at regional to national scales, and (5) evaluate program success. Our study emphasizes the importance of focusing on who will use modeling results and tailoring efforts to meet these needs. When grounded in real‐world contexts, hydrologic monitoring and modeling can play a small but critical role in supporting sustainable watershed management Key Points Different stages in the development of watershed management programs have distinct needs from hydrologic models and data Interviews and focus groups with program stakeholders revealed many contexts with low requirements for model accuracy Hydrologic modeling responsive to user needs increases information salience, credibility, and legitimacy and improves uptake