Environmental Water Regimes and Natural Capital: Free-Flowing Ecosystem services

Abstract The value of natural capital and ecosystem services (ESs) is widely acknowledged, but the application of the concept to environmental water is still in its infancy. This chapter argues for the need to adopt the natural capital and ESs concept and to underpin environmental flows assessments. It also highlights the numerous challenges that lie ahead in applying the concept. In particular, the importance of identifying hot spots and hot moments of ES delivery in relation to rivers and flow is presented, and the importance of stakeholder engagement and dialogue as part of proactive water allocation is stressed. The value and associated challenges are highlighted using the example of the Ganges River in India and a number of East African rivers.