Guidelines and Manual on Land-use Planning and Practices in Watershed Management and Disaster Reduction

ST/ESCAP/1781, 1997
Integrated watershed management has come to be recognized internationally as an important holistic approach to natural resources management, which seeks to promote the concept of sustainable development. Such an integrated approach has been recommended in Agenda 21 for all sectors dealing with the development and management of water resources. The present publication was initiated as part of the ongoing effort of the Water Resources Section of ESCAP towards the sustainable, integrated development of the water resource systems of the region. Such effort requires a systematic and strategic integration of water resources development and management activities into the social and economic development process. In that context, sustainable land use forms an overall planning framework, whilst sound land-use planning concepts, together with the adoption of appropriate land-use practices, provide key guidelines for land and water resources development and management, which should be undertaken with the integrated objectives of reducing natural disasters, boosting productivity and achieving sustainable development.

Sound land-use planning methods and practices can be developed from an end-use standpoint, such as social and economic development of national or regional planning, or from a sectoral point of view, i.e. in the context of development planning for various sectors such as agriculture, forestry, mining and water resources. There are strong linkages in planning between the two viewpoints; national and sectoral, between the two levels; national and regional, and among the various sectors. Integrated land-use planning aims to address these linkages. In this publication, an attempt is made to systematize important elements of these linkages, and especially the links between national and sectoral planning, to form a basis for better planning in the fields of land use and water resources development. The important elements of these linkages include the management system, financial resources, institutional and legal frameworks and community participation. The publication also identifies key areas which help to focus the land-use planning process towards the effective reduction of water-related natural disasters and also towards improved watershed management. Although it deals, to a certain degree, with land-use planning at the national development level, no attempt is made in the publication to consider regional development planning methodology as a guide for national socio-economic development. This step, however, is believed to be necessary to ensure that all land-use planning undertaken for watershed management and disaster reduction fully incorporates the main thrusts of national socio-economic development, as derived from regional development methodologies. The case studies of individual countries included in the publication are intended to provide useful examples of such a planning process.

The publication also attempts to make an overall, state-of-the-art review of appropriate land-use practices, in order to provide key information about watershed management and hazard assessment techniques as a basis for establishing future land-use options. In addition, the publication includes some details and references regarding advanced planning techniques.

This publication was prepared primarily to assist decision makers, planners and practising engineers to manage land and water resources in an integrated manner, in order to achieve better and sustainable watershed management, to coordinate land and water resources development activities with the development activities of other sectors, and to adopt an ecosystem-oriented foundation for the prioritization of water-related development activities. The publication is also intended to serve as a reference for planners and practising professionals working in other sectors when dealing with watershed-related development projects.

This publication is now available in Acrobat format and can be downloaded from here:
Complete file:    3 MB

Front part:        539 KB

Part 1: Guidelines    1.33 MB:    Chapter 1 (606 KB), Chapter 2 (584KB) and Chapter 3&4 (181KB)

Part 2: Manual        1.23 MB:    Chapter 5 (367KB) and Chapter 6 (882KB)