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IWRM in a country under rapid transition: lessons learnt from the Kharaa River Basin, Mongolia

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Abstract

Since it is representative in terms of environmental and socioeconomic conditions, the Kharaa River Basin in Northern Mongolia was chosen as a Central Asian model region for the development and implementation of a science-based IWRM approach. While a highly continental climate results in limited water availability, the combined effects of climate and land use changes and rising water consumption are likely to intensify quantitative and qualitative water scarcity. In such a context, water contamination due to deficient treatment of domestic, industrial and mining-related waste waters is particularly critical, putting at risk human health and aquatic ecosystems. In the recent past, water governance structures in transitional countries like Mongolia have not permitted to respond effectively to such complex challenges. For the model region of the Kharaa River Basin, considerable improvements in the scientific basis are currently coinciding with political reforms incorporating science-based river basin management as a guiding principle. This paper provides an integrative assessment of recent advancements which form the scientific basis for a future IWRM implementation in the region.

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Acknowledgments

The results presented in this paper are based on the research and development project “Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia: Model Region Mongolia”, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the framework of the FONA (Research for Sustainable Development) initiative (Grant No. 033L003). We acknowledge the support provided by the Project Administration Jülich (PTJ) and the BMBF/International Bureau in the context of the “Assistance for Implementation” (AIM) scheme. Finally, we would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

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Karthe, D., Heldt, S., Houdret, A. et al. IWRM in a country under rapid transition: lessons learnt from the Kharaa River Basin, Mongolia. Environ Earth Sci 73, 681–695 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3435-y

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