Module Code and Title:        ENM204 Watershed Management

Programme:                          BSc in Environmental Management

Credit:                                    12

Module Tutor:                       Jamyang Pelmo (Coordinator), Tshewang Dorji

General objective: The objective of this module is to provide an overview of the watershed management and planning process. This module introduces students to various aspects of water resources development like watershed structure and function, issues like erosion and land use change and management. It aims to provide knowledge and develop necessary skills of watershed management planning focusing on methods and tools used to develop and implement sustainable management plans.

Learning outcomes – On completion of the module, students will be able to:

1. Explain the proponents of watershed hydrology.
2. Discuss the principles of watershed management.
3. Explain methods used for estimating soil lost to erosion.
4. Discuss impacts of land use pattern change in watershed function
5. Describe the significance of stakeholder collaboration in watershed management
6. Conduct stakeholder analysis for one watershed management project
7. Discuss some indigenous practices of water conservation in Bhutan
8. Describe the process of watershed management planning
9. Evaluate an implemented watershed management plan
10. Review some of the best practices in watershed management

Learning and teaching approach:

Assessment Approach:

Each student will complete two reflective articles (one before midterm and one post-midterm) of 500 – 750 words each, about topics of their choice covered in the class lectures. This assessment will enable students to critically reflect on a topic and discuss their response (interpretation, description and thinking) in light of gaining better understanding or insights. The reflection should assess the lessons covered in the class, contextualize it by critically analysing its importance in overall the topic (module), and respond by reflecting their experiences, opinions, interpretation and analysis of the lesson. One reflective essay will be assessed before midterm and one post-midterm. Each will be marked as follows and the two grades will be averaged:

4%       Depth of reflection (Writing demonstrates an in-depth reflection on the selected topic, including supporting details and examples)

4%       Required components (describe, feel, evaluate, analyse, conclude and action)

3%       Quality of Information (related information, supporting details and/or examples)

2%       Structure & Organization (clear, concise, coherent and well organized)

2%       Mechanics

Part A: Students in groups of five will evaluate a watershed management plan. Based on their knowledge of management planning, they will construct an assessment framework/evaluation template of an already implemented watershed management plan. The tutor will provide different watershed management plans to each group and ask them to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility and sustainability of the process and various strategies adopted in different components of the management plan. They will write an evaluation report of about 1000 – 1200 words:

2%       Introduction to watershed management plan (technical features)

3%       Evaluation methodology (explain the parameters used in framework and methods of evaluation)

3%       Result and discussion

2%       Mechanics (Language and referencing) 

Part B: A short oral presentation of 15 minutes each will be done to the class: 

1.5%    Verbal skills (Enthusiasm and elocution)

1.5%    Nonverbal skills (eye contact, body language and poise)

2%       Content (Subject knowledge, organization and mechanics)

A full block-week field trip to Wangdue Phodrang and Punakha will be undertaken this semester. In the field, they will visit various watersheds and study the management of each. Each student from the group of five will conduct a study of each aspect of stakeholder collaboration - 1. Conduct stakeholder analysis, 2. Design structure for stakeholder participative roles, 3. Describe conflict resolution strategies, 4. Evaluate methods used in each phase of stakeholder collaboration, and 5. Cultural values surrounding watershed conservation and traditional/indigenous practices adopted - and produce a comprehensive block-week field visit report (1250-1500) consisting of reports for individual aspects reported by individual students. The group report must also have an overall organisation and structure as given in the criteria. The reports must capture an adequate description of stakeholder collaboration under watershed management planning explaining the concepts and theories covered in the class.

Group assessment on common portions of the report (5%)

1%       Organisation and structure (Introduction, methodology, discussion, and conclusion)

3%       Quality of content across the Introduction (Clarity and focus, significance and proposition), Methodology (Accuracy/reliability - measurement instrument, collection, analyses, and context), Overall discussion (Interpretation and description, argument, and proposed perspectives)

1%       Mechanics (language, correct use of figure and tables, citation and referencing)

Individual assessment on report portions related to individual areas visited (10%)

4%       Synthesis of the information (well-supported argument for how their subject illustrates the concept or process taught in the class)

3%       Analytical thinking (critically discuss the issues, opportunities, limitations and best practices of stakeholder collaboration with the adequate logical background supports)

3%       Mechanics (Language and vocabulary usage)

Students will take a written exam of 1.5-hr duration covering topics up to the mid-point of the semester. The exam will comprise structured questions like MCQ, fill-in-the-blanks, matching, definition, as well as open-ended essay questions.

Students will take a written exam of 2.5-hr duration encompassing all the subject matter covered in the semester. This assessment is comprehensive and summative in nature, and will comprise structured questions like MCQ, fill-in-the-blanks, matching, definition, as well as open-ended essay questions. Students will be required to sit for a written midterm examination of 1.5 hr duration proving their theoretical grasp of the concepts, as well as their ability to apply the concepts using practical examples.

Overview of assessment approaches and weighting

Pre-requisites: ENM202 Water Resources Management

Subject matter:

1. Unit I: Watershed Hydrology
   1. Concept of watershed
   2. Underlying Principles and Processes: 
      1. Water Budget Components and Water Flow
      2. Surface Flow
      3. Flow Measurement and Analysis
      4. Stream Classification and Water Quality
      5. Water Quality and Impacts
   3. Concept of watershed management and sustainability 
   4. Historical look at watershed management
2. Unit II: Soil Erosion Assessment
   1. Introduction to soil erosion
   2. Estimation of soil loss
      1. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) 
      2. Rainfall-runoff erosivity
      3. Soil erodibility
      4. Slope Length and gradient
      5. Vegetation/Crop Cover
      6. Management/supporting practice
      7. Physical Protection (engineering measures)
   3. Soil erosion and loss of productivity
      1. Topsoil Loss on Productivity
      2. Soil Depth Reduction on Productivity
3. Unit III: Land Use and Its Role in Watershed Management
   1. Characteristics of Watershed (size, shape, physiography, slope, climate, land use, vegetation, geology, soils, socio-economics characteristics, basic data on watersheds)
   2. Land use types (wetland, grassland, vegetation, built-up area, and cropland)
   3. Farming Practices (crop cultivation and use of forest resources such as fodder, timber)
   4. Livestock grazing area and systems and areas (reforestation and afforestation)
   5. Habitat preferences. 
4. Unit IV: Stakeholder collaborations
   1. Scope and significance of stakeholder collaboration
   2. Stakeholder collaboration goals
   3. Stakeholder analysis
      1. Stakeholder identification (community, local leader etc.)
      2. Investigating relationships between stakeholders
      3. Establishing their attributes or characteristic (resources and skills)
      4. Identify participation/involvement incentives
      5. Identify outreach activities to build awareness and gain partners
   4. Structure for stakeholder Participative Roles (inform, consult, collaborate/partner, and empower)
   5. Conflict Resolution
   6. Methods used in stakeholder collaboration
      1. Situation Assessment
      2. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups
      3. Participatory Rural Appraisal
      4. Stakeholder matrix, the onion map, the stakeholder salience model, the Force Field Analysis (FFA)
      5. Actor-linkage matrices and social network analysis
      6. Q-methodology (bottom-up approach) and Stakeholder Mapping (top-down approach 
      7. Modern tools for watershed survey (multi-data, mapping, modelling)
   7. Traditional and indigenous practices of water conservation
5. Unit V: Watershed Planning Process
   1. Build Partnerships (Identifying driving forces, issues and relevant stakeholders, and collaboration with existing programs)
   2. Characterize Your Watershed (Scoping, gathering data, identifying gaps, watershed modelling)
   3. Finalize Goals and Identify Solutions (setting goal and objectives, setting Indicators and targets, identifying critical areas and selecting Management Strategies)
   4. Design Implementation Program and Assemble and Watershed Plan (setting trajectories and schedules, developing monitoring strategies, creating an evaluation framework)
   5. Implement the Watershed Plan (implementing management strategies, developing work plans, and conducting monitoring and outreach activities)
   6. Measure Progress and Make Adjustments (reviewing and evaluating the progress, sharing results, and making adjustments)
6. Unit VI: Watershed Management Plan
   1. Management Plan
      1. Size and selection 
      2. Resource survey
      3. Community organization
      4. Land capability classification
      5. Watershed development plan
      6. Special problem area
      7. Integration of different approaches
      8. Governance
      9. Socio-economic impact
      10. Self Help and User Groups
      11. Watershed fund
   2. Capacity building
   3. Monitoring and Evaluation 
   4. Sustenance and follow up
   5. Integration of social and natural resources management strategies
   6. Project report
7. Unit VII: Watershed management in Bhutan
   1. Law and guiding principles watershed Management 
   2. Examples of multifaceted collaborative watershed management and restoration in Bhutan 
   3. Sample watershed management plan
   4. Case studies and best practices (such as Lingmethechu Watershed, Radhi Watershed and Yakpugang Watershed Management)

List of practical work:

Reading List:

Essential Reading

Megdal, S. B., Eden, S., & Shamir, E. (Eds.). (2017). Water governance, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable water resources management. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI. 

Das, M. M., & Saikia, M. D. (2012). Watershed management. New Delhi, India: PHI Public Private Limited.

Heathcote, I. W. (2009). Integrated watershed management: Principles and practice (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. 

Mizunuma, M. (2014, June 28). Satoyama: Japan's secret water garden [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00792dg

Murthy, J.V.S.  (2017). Watershed management (2^nd ed.). New Delhi, India: New Age Publishers.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (2008). Handbook for developing watershed plans to restore and protect our waters. Washington, WA: United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Watershed Management Division, (2015). Payment for ecosystem services framework for Bhutan (SNV). Thimphu, Bhutan: Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.

Additional Reading

Dhyani, S.K., Sharda, V.N., & Juyal, G.P. (2007). Training manual soil conservation and watershed management: Conservation forestry and watershed management, Volume III. Dehradun, India: Central Soil & water Conservation research & Training Institute.

The International Network of Basin Organizations and the Global Water Partnership. (2005). The handbook for integrated water resources management in basins. Mölnlycke, Sweden: Elanders. 

Mohan, S.C., Samra, J.S., Srivastava A.K., & Sharda, V.N. (2007). Training manual soil conservation and watershed management: Soil, agronomy and socio-economic aspects, Volume I. Dehradun, India: Central Soil & water Conservation research & Training Institute.

National Soil Services Centre. (2012). Bhutan catalogue of soil and water conservation approaches and technologies: Best practices and guidelines from Bhutan for sustainable land management on steep to very steep slopes. Thimphu, Bhutan: Kuensel.

National Environmental Commission. (2016). National integrated water resources management. Thimphu, Bhutan: Author.

Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental research. (2018). Climate change vulnerability assessment in Kurichu watershed: A case of Gangzur and Khengkhar. Thimphu, Bhutan: Tshangpa Printing Press.

Watershed Management Division. (2018). Integrated watershed management plan for Wangdigang- Dechugang, Zhemgang. Thimphu, Bhutan: Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.

Watershed Management Division. (2015). Project completion reporting for Blue Moon Funded Support to integrating payment for environmental services and REDD + in Bhutan. Thimphu, Bhutan: Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.

Watershed Management Division. (2017). Watershed management plan; Chamkhar chhu sub-basin. Thimphu, Bhutan: Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.

Watershed Management Division, (2015), Corruption risk assessment for REDD+ in Bhutan. Thimphu, Bhutan: Department of Forests and Park services.

Date: June 2021