Valuing Water Resources in Turkey : A Methodological Overview and Case Study
Water is an essential component of Turkey’s economy and environment. Water resources are under strong pressure in terms of both quantity and quality.Freshwater productivity in Turkey is low compared to that of high-income countries,and of some uppe...
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2016
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2016/10/26859816/natural-capital-accounting-valuing-water-resources-turkey-methodological-overview-case-study http://hdl.handle.net/10986/25291 |
| Summary: | Water is an essential component of
Turkey’s economy and environment. Water resources are under
strong pressure in terms of both quantity and
quality.Freshwater productivity in Turkey is low compared to
that of high-income countries,and of some upper
middle-income countries of the region, such as Belarus, and
Bosnia and Herzegovina, (World Bank, 2016). As the largest
user of water, agriculture has extensive irrigation systems,
however the existing irrigation practices are not very
efficient.The Turkish government is considering a set of
policy issues related to water resource management (WRM),
including estimating the economic value of water and
incorporating this into strategic decision-making on water
allocation and pricing. There is a request for developing a
tool for water valuation and accounting.The identification
of water goods and services is based on the Total Economic
Value (TEV) framework, which includes use and non-use
values.The economic valuation of water benefits can be based
on a wide range of valuation methods.The study presented in
this report focused on water valuation with the objectives
of introducing the concept and methods of water valuation,
and demonstrating their use through actual application of
valuation methods to Turkey’s water resources.A case study
was quickly carried out in Beysehir Lake sub catchment, the
largest freshwater lake in Turkey.The study further
identified the need for the following actions: Nurture the
political will and institutional arrangements to support the
incorporation of valuation into decision-making.Adopt
natural capital valuation and accounting as supporting tools
in implementing the 2030 Agenda and delivering the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Carry out in-depth
valuation studies, covering a wider range of water values
and river basins.Improve the valuation of water benefits in
Beysehir Lake subcatchment through extended data collection
and site-specific studies concerning the economic value of
water uses (i.e. agricultural, municipal, recreational, and
biodiversity).Develop national guidelines on water valuation
and accounting to facilitate future studies and
scale/implement existing efforts nationwide.The report
contains six chapters. Following this introduction, Chapter
two provides an overview of Turkey’s current water sector.
Chapter three introduces the concept of total economic
value, and Chapter four further discusses the valuation
methods for each type of water use. To demonstrate the
applicability of valuation in Turkey, Chapter five applies
these methods to Beysehir Lake subcatchment in Konya Closed
Basin, based on readily available information. Finally,
Chapter six provides some conclusions and recommendations. |
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