ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the link between values and decision-making in water management. Many, and probably most, values in water management remain implicit, yet those tacit values can determine critical decision outcomes. This situation is certainly not optimal; indeed, it is dangerous. Management decisions about a resource that is vital to life are being made with only a cloudy notion of what our values, and hence our management objectives, truly are. This type of 'blind' management has long been the norm in the world of water resources development. When water supplies are abundant, and water demand is relatively low, management can be sloppy and inefficient, without dire consequences. However, those days are long gone. Responsible water management in our overcrowded and increasingly fragile planet needs higher standards. We need to know what our value priorities are, and then develop responsible strategies for meeting those priorities.
