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COURSE INFO PROVIDER: SWSPCP Webinar
COURSE TITLE: Climate-resilient environmental flows: Theory, practice & outlook on a changing climate in Mexico

INSTRUCTORS Dr. Sergio A. Salinas-Rodríguez

COURSE DESCRIPTION Abstract:
Environmental flows are defined as the flow regime or water levels necessary to maintain the ecological functions and ecosystem services provided by aquatic ecosystems. In Mexico, the first studies began in the early 1990s, and today there is 50-year protection of the flow regime in ~55% of the national mean annual runoff from 295 of the country's basins that drain through more than 48,000 km rivers with at least a good state of connectivity (~42% of the national hydrological network). This regime protection benefits 82 protected natural areas, 64 wetlands of international importance, 90+ freshwater species (40+ protected) and will provide water security to 45+ million people. The Mexican approach stands out for combining the administration and management of water in favor of the people, nature, and the resilience of the system due to the preventive allocation of water for ecological protection, even under scenarios of great climatic variability. This seminar will address the theory underlying environmental flows, the assessment strategy and administrative implementation, the performance of the initiative and the necessary management measures to ensure mid-to-long term implementation, monitoring, and governance in the field.

Speaker's Bio:

Dr. Sergio A. Salinas Rodríguez is a Mexican biologist from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Mexico) with a Master’s Degree in Ecosystems Restoration issued by the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares (Spain), and a Doctorate in Water Resources issued by Delft University of Technology (Netherlands). His professional background focused on aquatic conservation values, ecological processes, functions and services, and development of rivers and wetlands management, conservation, and restoration strategies. His research interests are in environmental water science and practice, ecohydrology, ecohydraulics, flow alteration-ecological response relationships, connectivity, climate change adaptation, and policy performance assessment proposed as nature-based solutions. To date, he has coordinated and conducted environmental flow assessments with hydrological and holistic methodologies encompassing more than 50 river basins, 20 capacity-building workshops in Mexico, Latin America, and Asia, and given presentations in congresses and symposiums for national and international audiences. He was World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Mexico’s Water Program Coordinator & Leader and a member of WWF’s Water Security Team coordinated by the Global Freshwater Programme. Today, he is a Research Associate for The Southern Border College and likes outdoor activities especially if they are river, wetland, and biodiversity-related such as rafting, kayaking, fishing, and birdwatching.

Credit Points: 0.06

SYLLABUS/TOPICAL OUTLINE 1) Introduction to environmental flows, and the history of their study and application in Mexico (15 minutes). 2) Benefits of environmental flows protection in Mexico (15 minutes). 3) Mexico’s approach to administering environmental flows, including the context of a changing climate (15 minutes). 4) Question and answers (15 minutes).

COURSE CONTACT

Louis Mantini
9225 CR49, Live Oak, FL 32060
lfm@srwmd.org
P: 386.647.3144
F: 386.362.1056

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