Challenges to the integration of wetlands into IWRM: The case of the Inner Niger Delta (Mali) and the Lobau Floodplain (Austria)

The authors recognize that wetlands are poorly integrated in river basin management. Governments that endorsed the Ramsar Convention recognise the importance of the wetlands in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) using the "critical path" approach but is not widely implemented.

This paper assesses the critical path approach implemented in the Inner Niger Delta (Mali) and the Lobau Floodplain (Austria). Wetlands International - Mali has been involved in this evaluation under the WETwin project. The authors propose a planning approach for assessing ecosystem services and institutional capacity. Two main problems were identified: mismatch on local and national priorities and lack of recognition of ecosystem services.

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