[Projects] SimRapel: Participatory Modelling for Water Governance – Stage II

July 12th, 2018

Finances: Innovation Fund for Competitiveness of the Regional Government of O’Higgins 2017

Start date: April 2018

Extension: 24 months

Based on applied science, SimRapel is developed, which is an innovative tool that seeks to support the decision making regarding water management in the Rapel basin. It is part of the project called “SimRapel: Participatory Modeling for Water Governance”, which is carried out with funds from the Regional Government of O’Higgins. The tool is supported by a transparent participation process that helps build and foment the social capital and that facilitated water governance in the area.

Context

The O’Higgins regions is sustained by a rich hydrographic system, where agriculture and mining are the main activities. For the centre north and centre south of Chile, it has been estimated that water demand in all economic sector will rise¹ and a average rainfall with decrease in 20-30% towards the end of the XXI century²; therefore it is essential to consolidate an integrated water management for the area.

In the face of the challenges that this subject presents, for institutions and for communications among water users, in 2016, CSIRO Chile developed for the region a project called “Integrated Management Plan for the Rapel Basin – Stage I“.

With a participatory process as base, since the beginning of the project, along with a Advisory Group integrated by 12 key actors regarding water in the basin, a shared vision for 2050 was established, and 7 tools to improve water management were identified.

1. Jiménez, J.P., Plan Maestro de Gestión de Recursos HídricosRegión de O’Higgins, DGA, 2012
2. FCCyT , Diagnóstico del Agua en las Américas, 2012

SimRapel: Participatory Modelling for Water Governance – Stage II

This project began in 2018, and it represents one of the 7 tools identified in Stage I. The project in based on CSIRO’s work, and organization with over 100 years of experience in more than 9 areas of applied science in Australia and the world.

The tool called FlowLogo joins hydric models of the basin with an Agent-based modelling and utilizing the method of participatory modelling to incorporate all the actors and interested parties in the decision making process, strengthening the integrated water management in the basin. This tool, based on science, analyzes in an integrated way the social, economic and hydrologic dynamics present in the basin. With this information, integrated water management is improved in the basin and water management strategies are elaborated.

Specific objectives:

1. To facilitate the relationship and interaction with actors.

2. To promote social capital through a participatory modelling.

3. To conceptualize and design the hydro-social model of the basin through the FlowLogo tool.

4. To implement the computational platform SimRapel as a decision support tool.

5. To evaluate strategies and/or scenarios that facilitate the governance of water.