The term “environmental flows” refers to a combination of features, including quantity, quality, and timing of water flows required to sustainably maintain a river’s health, balancing both ecological and societal needs. Incorporating basic human livelihood and sociocultural aspects in environmental flow assessments alongside ecological concerns provides a more holistic perspective on water flow management. Here, we provide an assessment that complements an ecosystem functioning lens by focusing solely on quantifying the flows associated with livelihood activities and spiritual water requirements of local riparian communities in the Karnali basin in Western Nepal. This assessment is based on the first social survey related to environmental flows conducted in the Karnali basin. We collected data using mixed methods, including social surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions, across six locations in the Karnali basin that provide us with a rich and dynamic perspective on the relationship between rivers and their surrounding communities, and the challenges faced by those communities. Among the subsistence and spiritual requirements of local communities are uses for activities that include drinking, small-scale irrigation, domestic needs, fishing, and ceremonial usage. All communities we visited most strongly associated the following activities with water flow variation: small-scale irrigation, fishing, ceremonial usage, domestic needs, and tourism. The water flows required for these key activities were quantified, and results from the six sites are presented in the form of a qualitative scale of minimum water levels (ranging across poor, acceptable, and ideal) required to meet vital local needs. The minimum acceptable water flow requirement to satisfy social criteria is just > 20% of the mean annual runoff at the visited locations. These requirements are particularly vital to consider, given ongoing efforts to tap the vast hydropower potential in Nepal through construction of major storage projects. Such projects would change the flow regime of affected rivers and potentially raise concerns that existing demands might be compromised.

中文翻译：

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是谁的河？卡尔纳利盆地生计和文化水流需求评估

术语“环境流量”是指特征的组合，包括可持续维持河流健康所需的水流量的数量、质量和时间，平衡生态和社会需求。将基本的人类生计和社会文化方面与生态问题一起纳入环境流量评估，为水流量管理提供了更全面的视角。在这里，我们提供了一项评估，通过仅关注量化与尼泊尔西部卡尔纳利盆地当地河岸社区的生计活动和精神用水需求相关的流量，来补充生态系统功能的视角。该评估基于在卡纳利盆地进行的与环境流量相关的第一次社会调查。我们使用混合方法收集数据，包括社会调查、卡纳利盆地六个地点的关键知情人访谈和焦点小组讨论，为我们提供了关于河流与其周围社区之间关系以及这些社区面临的挑战的丰富而动态的视角。当地社区的生计和精神需求包括饮酒、小规模灌溉、家庭需求、捕鱼和礼仪用途等活动。我们访问过的所有社区都将以下活动与水流变化密切相关：小规模灌溉、捕鱼、仪式使用、家庭需求和旅游。这些关键活动所需的水流量被量化，六个地点的结果以最低水位的定性尺度的形式呈现（范围包括较差、可接受、和理想）满足重要的当地需求。满足社会标准的最低可接受水流量要求刚好 > 所访问地点年平均径流的 20%。鉴于尼泊尔正在通过建设大型蓄能项目来挖掘巨大的水电潜力，因此考虑这些要求尤为重要。此类项目将改变受影响河流的流态，并可能引发对现有需求可能受到损害的担忧。