ABSTRACT Rapid urbanization has emerged as a defining global trend of the 21st century, reshaping landscapes, ecosystems, and human societies. Among the most affected ecosystems are urban lakes, which, despite their relatively small size, provide critical ecological, social, and cultural services that support urban resilience and sustainability. This scoping review synthesizes existing literature to examine the retrospective impacts and future prospects of urbanization on urban lake ecosystems. Findings highlight that urban expansion, land-use change, and intensified human activities disrupt hydrological cycles, increase pollutant loads, and accelerate processes such as eutrophication, sedimentation, and contamination, thereby threatening ecological integrity and human well-being. Urban lakes, however, continue to play vital roles in climate regulation, flood control, biodiversity preservation, and the provision of recreational and cultural values. Despite growing recognition of these functions, research on urban lakes remains fragmented across disciplines, often focusing narrowly on water quality or urban planning dimensions. By mapping current knowledge and identifying key themes, this review underscores the need for interdisciplinary approaches to urban lake management and calls for integrative strategies that balance ecological protection with urban development. The insights generated aim to inform sustainable urban planning, policy design, and ecological stewardship in the context of accelerating urbanization.
ABSTRACT Wetlands are critical components of natural water infrastructure, delivering hydrological regulation, biodiversity support, and climate resilience, yet they continue to deteriorate globally. This article provides new causal evidence on the effectiveness of International Environmental Agreements (IEAs) by examining the impacts of wetland designation under the Ramsar Convention. Exploiting the spatial and temporal rollout of Ramsar sites worldwide and combining high-resolution geospatial data on land cover, water extent, and biodiversity, we estimate the causal effect of designation on wetland's ecological character as well as anthropogenic activities. On average, we find that Ramsar designation has limited impacts on reversing wetland degradation and does not consistently halt declines in water, vegetation, or biodiversity. However, treatment effects are highly heterogeneous. Positive impacts emerge in countries with stronger environmental governance, higher water-management capacity, and higher income levels, as well as in smaller wetlands that are easier to monitor and manage. In contrast, large wetlands and sites in weak institutional settings often continue to deteriorate following designation. These findings suggest that international commitments alone are insufficient to safeguard wetlands. Effective policy requires pairing IEAs with investments in local institutional capacity, integrated water governance, and financing mechanisms that align conservation with development objectives, positioning wetlands as core assets within broader water systems.
ABSTRACT Graphical abstract showing gendered patterns in children’s household water fetching and pathways for change. This study examined gendered patterns of children's participation in household water fetching in Ghana, applying Gender Role Theory as an interpretive lens. Using a nationally representative sample of 5,024 children aged 8–17 years, the research employed a mixed-method design. The quantitative data were collected through structured questionnaires, while qualitative insights were obtained from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Results revealed that more girls (63.1%) fetched water at home than boys (51.2%) (p ≤ 0.001). The qualitative findings indicated that some children, especially boys, did not fetch water for several reasons, including limited access to household water facilities, parental reliance on vendors, health-related constraints, and entrenched socio-cultural beliefs that frame water fetching as a female responsibility. Children's views on whether water fetching should be shared were mixed: while many advocated equal participation, cultural norms and peer pressure discouraged boys from taking on the water fetching task. The findings underscore the persistence of gendered divisions of labour in children's domestic responsibilities, reinforcing broader patterns of inequality. However, evidence of shifting perceptions among some children highlights opportunities for change. The study concludes that addressing gender norms through education, community sensitisation, and media engagement can promote more equitable sharing of household responsibilities.
Graphical abstract summarizing a study on water demand management (WDM) in public organizations, showing the research gap, methods, key findings, theory-practice gap, and proposed Water Balance Forecasting Model (WBFM) solution.This study aims to investigate empirical research results related to water demand management in the public sector, as reported in scholarly journals. Furthermore, it aims to answer the question: What are the practical challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of effective water demand management strategies within a particular municipal setting, specifically through the case study of the Vhembe District Municipality? Research on water demand management within public sectors has predominantly focused on elements including water supply, organisational frameworks, management methodologies, and improvement strategies. The research methodology employed an integrative review in conjunction with open-ended semi-structured interviews to enable data triangulation. This approach facilitated a comparative analysis between the insights gathered from the interview research participants and the results obtained from the integrative review. The results from the interviews expose a lack of adequate planning for water demand management within Vhembe District Municipality, causing poor water resources management. The study findings point to a lack of research based on water demand management in public sectors, specifically regarding the use of empirical methods and data. The current study analyses these results and offers a new framework towards propagating effective water demand management in government sectors.HIGHLIGHTSBridges theory and practice by comparing literature findings with interviews. Introduces a Water Balance Forecasting Model (WBFM) for estimating water demand and supply. Highlights systemic gaps in strategic planning, coordination, and skills within public organisations. Advances empirical evidence on water demand management in public sectors. Aligns WDM with New Public Management principles.
ABSTRACT The Mekong River Basin is experiencing increasing structural instability as growing hydrological variability due to climate change interacts with the cumulative impacts of upstream dam development. In particular, the 2019–2020 ‘man-made drought’ controversy illustrates how conflict can escalate when scientific uncertainty is politicized. This study aims to explain how overlapping climate–hydrological stress and power asymmetries contribute to the entrenchment of a low-to-medium intensity chronic conflict regime in the basin. Methodologically, it combines a single-case study with process tracing and applies the context–mechanism–outcome framework derived from realistic evaluation. The analysis finds that mediating mechanisms (M) – notably the operation of hydro-hegemony and the unequal distribution of costs and benefits – are activated under structural conditions (C) characterized by hydrological volatility and power and institutional asymmetries. As a result (O), cooperative institutions persist in form while a ‘managed but unresolved’ conflict state becomes entrenched through the ongoing reproduction of distrust. The findings indicate that a peaceful resolution of Mekong River conflicts requires structural measures that go beyond technical cooperation, including improved data transparency, benefit-sharing and damage-recovery agreements, and the creation of a multilateral mediation platform to mitigate asymmetries.
