Chapter 20
Does the Use of Local Knowledge
in Complex Systems Reduce
Vulnerability to Climate Change?
Insights from Nexus Water Management
in the Niger Basin
Luca Ferrini, Euan Mackway-Jones, and Nora Van Cauwenbergh
Abstract In response to climate change and in an attempt to address complexity
and uncertainty, management of water resources is increasingly framed as adaptive
management. By definition, adaptive management includes experiential learning
to improve understanding of systems and their responses to change. It is increasingly recognized that the knowledge of local communities contributes to system
understanding. This is particularly important in Africa, where data is limited and
vulnerability to climate change is high. This chapter focuses on the contribution of
local knowledge in adaptive water resource management in Africa in a context of
nexus governance. The hypothesis tested in this study is that a holistic approach to
water management, which includes local knowledge and ensures local participation,
contributes to a decrease in climate change vulnerability and can lead to greater
capacity for adaptation, particularly for natural resource-based societies. The analysis focuses on water governance in the Niger Basin through three case studies. The
first looks at the creation of National User Coordination structures for basin management. The second and third look at local participation in two major projects in the
basin; the Kandadji Dam in Niger and the Fomi Dam in Guinea. These cases were
selected to understand the roles of system boundaries and system understanding,
stakeholders and levels of involvement, adaptation capacity and vulnerability in
complex adaptive systems, and their governance. Results show that nexus governance
structures generally facilitate inclusion of local knowledge in theory, but that this
The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent the view of GIZ, UNESCO, or IHE.
L. Ferrini (B)
GIZ, Niamey, Niger
e-mail: luca.ferrini@giz.de
E. Mackway-Jones
UNESCO, Paris, France
N. Van Cauwenbergh
IHE Delft, Delft, The Netherlands
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Diop et al. (eds.), Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61225-2_20
459
Does the Use of Local Knowledge
in Complex Systems Reduce
Vulnerability to Climate Change?
Insights from Nexus Water Management
in the Niger Basin
Luca Ferrini, Euan Mackway-Jones, and Nora Van Cauwenbergh
Abstract In response to climate change and in an attempt to address complexity
and uncertainty, management of water resources is increasingly framed as adaptive
management. By definition, adaptive management includes experiential learning
to improve understanding of systems and their responses to change. It is increasingly recognized that the knowledge of local communities contributes to system
understanding. This is particularly important in Africa, where data is limited and
vulnerability to climate change is high. This chapter focuses on the contribution of
local knowledge in adaptive water resource management in Africa in a context of
nexus governance. The hypothesis tested in this study is that a holistic approach to
water management, which includes local knowledge and ensures local participation,
contributes to a decrease in climate change vulnerability and can lead to greater
capacity for adaptation, particularly for natural resource-based societies. The analysis focuses on water governance in the Niger Basin through three case studies. The
first looks at the creation of National User Coordination structures for basin management. The second and third look at local participation in two major projects in the
basin; the Kandadji Dam in Niger and the Fomi Dam in Guinea. These cases were
selected to understand the roles of system boundaries and system understanding,
stakeholders and levels of involvement, adaptation capacity and vulnerability in
complex adaptive systems, and their governance. Results show that nexus governance
structures generally facilitate inclusion of local knowledge in theory, but that this
The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent the view of GIZ, UNESCO, or IHE.
L. Ferrini (B)
GIZ, Niamey, Niger
e-mail: luca.ferrini@giz.de
E. Mackway-Jones
UNESCO, Paris, France
N. Van Cauwenbergh
IHE Delft, Delft, The Netherlands
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Diop et al. (eds.), Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61225-2_20
459