Resilience as a strategy for managing water resources – a promising concept or just another buzzword?

The term “resilience” is increasingly being used when the responses of ecosystems to climate change are evaluated. With respect to water, resilience has also been identified as a strategy to mitigate the effects of climate perturbations on water resources.

This presentation explores the different definitions of hydrological resilience and scientific evidence for proven or lost resilience of hydrological processes in the context of the rising frequency of hydrological extremes. It highlights approaches to increase the hydrological resilience of landscapes and associated challenges in the implementation of an integrated water management scheme that supports the resilience of coupled nature-human systems in an increasingly uncertain climate future.