A holistic framework for the governance of water resources to promote the circular water economy in the Porsuk Watershed within the context of the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus

Date

2025-4-25

Author

Demir, Ece

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Water resources are indispensable for socio-economic development and ecosystem sustainability, yet they face escalating pressures from urbanization, population growth, socio-economic transformations, increasing energy demands, and climate change, all of which threaten their availability and quality. This challenge is further intensified by resource governance strategies that are frequently characterized as fragmented and isolated, failing to adequately account for the intricate interconnections within resource systems. These issues are especially pressing in Türkiye, which faces significant challenges in securing water, food, and energy resources. The Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) nexus offers a comprehensive framework to address these challenges by exploring the interdependencies among these critical sectors, aiming to mitigate resource strain and foster sustainable development. The emerging concept of circular economy further provides a promising pathway to alleviate pressures on the WEFE nexus components. This study aims to enhance resource efficiency in the Porsuk Watershed by promoting circular economy practices through integrated governance and collaboration across WEFE nexus components. The first phase of this study involves a sectoral system analysis covering agriculture, industry, and domestic sectors, along with a social system analysis that includes water value chain analysis, stakeholder analysis, and social network analysis in the Porsuk Watershed. In the second phase, the system analysis findings are integrated into Elinor Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development framework. This integrated approach supports decision-makers by providing actionable insights for fostering collaboration, integrating local knowledge into governance processes, raising stakeholder awareness, strengthening regulatory mechanisms, and recognizing the economic and ecological value of water.

Subject Keywords

Circular Economy, Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus, Watershed Management, Natural Resource Governance, Stakeholder Management

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/114983

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis