Interbasin Water Transfers in Spain: Interregional Conflicts and Governance Responses

Hernández-Mora, Nuria; Ituarte, Leandro del Moral; La-Roca, Francesc; Calle, Alberto de la; Schmidt, Guido

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-7323-3_13

Cited by 52 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…The Guadiana River Basin is shared between three Spanish autonomous regions (Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Andalucía) and Portugal, and is managed by the Guadiana RBA. When the river basin remains within an autonomous region, it is that region's government that is responsible (Hernández-Mora et al 2014). RBAs and their functions evolved from a focus on the development of infrastructure projects without a real river basin management approach to a growing emphasis on integrated water resources management and planning, which started after the 1985 Water Law (AEVAL 2010) and, more clearly, during the process of implementation of the WFD that started in 2004.…”

Section: Historical Groundwater Abstraction Regulation and Reform Attmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, the liberalization of the wine market in the EU after 2008 as well as market deregulation have been quoted as drivers affecting the decrease in wine production (Barco Royo and Navarro Pérez 2012;Fernández Portela 2013). 17 The state's centralizing hydraulic mission (more supply-driven water policies and infrastructure) and the so-called 'hydrological solidarity' between regions in Spain have been the two main drivers for the approval of interbasin water transfers in the country (Font and Subirats 2010;Hernández-Mora et al 2014;Swyngedouw 2014 …”

Section: The Role Of European Agricultural Policy Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sticks and carrots: managing groundwater overabstraction in La Mancha, Spain

Closas¹,

Molle²,

Hernández-Mora³

2017

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The publications in this series record the work and thinking of IWMI researchers, and knowledge that the Institute's scientific management feels is worthy of documenting. This series will ensure that scientific data and other information gathered or prepared as a part of the research work of the Institute are recorded and referenced. Working Papers could include project reports, case studies, conference or workshop proceedings, discussion papers or reports on progress of research, country-specific research reports, monographs, etc. Working Papers may be copublished, by IWMI and partner organizations.Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMIIWMI's mission is to provide evidence-based solutions to sustainably manage water and land resources for food security, people's livelihoods and the environment. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and the private sector to develop scalable agricultural water management solutions that have a tangible impact on poverty reduction, food security and ecosystem health. Groundwater over-abstraction is a phenomenon also threatening the sustainable economic and social development of the countries on the southern side of the Mediterranean, and the control and management of over-abstraction has become a clear challenge for policy-makers, managers and academics in the region. This broader research exercise presents different governance problems and challenges that exist around the world in relation to groundwater, and informs potential future management and policy pathways in the MENA region. Semi-arid and arid countries are more likely to (over)exploit their groundwater resources. Northern and southern Mediterranean countries have many common climatic and agricultural features, and they all face dramatic increases in the use of groundwater for irrigation. The paper analyzes, through a political and historical lens, the different groundwater regulatory tools, laws and regulations, community actions and institutional structures put in place in Spain in order to curb groundwater over-abstraction. This paper arises out of the necessity to examine, at various scales, existing cases of groundwater regulation and management, so that policy solutions and mitigation measures to the groundwater crisis may be found. IWMI Working Paper 177 Sticks andDespite different socioeconomic and political contexts, the example of Spain can provide a deeper understanding of the challenges countries in the MENA region face when it comes to reducing groundwater abstraction. This is due to the fact that the sequence of policies attempted and implemented in the country bears resemblance to similar attempts to re...

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Section: Historical Groundwater Abstraction Regulation and Reform Attmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Role Of European Agricultural Policy Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sticks and carrots: managing groundwater overabstraction in La Mancha, Spain

Closas¹,

Molle²,

Hernández-Mora³

2017

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“…However, in recent years, there has been a decline in domestic, industrial, and agricultural demands, thanks to higher tariffs and modernization of the urban supply and irrigation systems. Irrigated areas cover a third of the country's cultivated land but produce more than 55% of the country's agricultural products (HERNÁNDEZ-MORA et al, 2014). Further, 15-20% of the water used comes from aquifers, but Spain is one of the European countries that uses the least groundwater (HERNÁNDEZ-MORA et al, 2007).…”

Section: Geographical Framework and Water Usesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are three types of water use rights authorizations in the Spanish legal system, which can be reviewed under exceptional conditions (HERNÁNDEZ-MORA et al, 2014;. One of them refers to the administrative concessions granted by the State for different uses for a maximum period of 75 years; these are renewable.…”

Section: Administrative Concessions Of Water Use Rights In Spainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Instruments of administrative concessions of water use rights in Spain

Magalhães

Curiel

2017

RBRH

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Most of the Spanish territory is marked by Mediterranean climatic characteristics, in which rain irregularity and droughts present continuous challenges to water resource managers. Since the end of the 19 th century, the country has adopted a management logic based on flow regularization from dam construction and basin water transfers. However, from the Water Framework Directive adopted in 2000, European Union member states are forced to undertake more environmentally oriented management processes, with a focus on improving the ecological status of water bodies. In this sense, economic management tools have been highlighted in the national strategies for compliance with the Water Framework Directive requirements. One of those instruments is the public water use rights permit. This paper aims to present the Spanish panorama of this instrument and contribute to those interested in water management. The work shows that there are several challenges and problems faced by the Spanish management apparatus, particularly regarding continuity of private management of groundwater and insufficient knowledge of numerous wells and volumes of water used. For various reasons, the concessions system faces criticism as to defending the interests of traditional economic sectors. Keywords:Water use rights concession; Water resources management; Spain water management. RESUMENGran parte del territorio español es marcado por características climáticas mediterráneas, en que la irregularidad pluviométrica y los estiajes se constituyen en retos continuados a los gestores de recursos hídricos. Desde el final del siglo XIX, España ha adoptado una lógica de gestión basada en la regularización de caudales a partir de la construcción de presas y de transferencias hídricas entre cuencas. Sin embargo, a partir de la Directiva Marco del Agua los países miembros de la Unión Europea han sido forzados a buscaren objetivos más ambientales, centrados en la mejora del estado ecológico de las masas de agua. En ese sentido, los instrumentos económicos tienen destaque en las estrategias nacionales de adecuación a las exigencias de la Directiva. Este artículo intenta presentar el panorama español de aplicación de la concesión de derechos de usos del agua. Hay una serie de retos y problemas confrontados por el aparato gestor español, particularmente la continuidad de la gestión privada de aguas subterráneas y el desconocimiento de gran parte de los pozos y de los volúmenes utilizados. Por este y otros motivos, el sistema de concesiones enfrenta críticas cuanto a la defensa de los intereses de sectores económicos tradicionales en el país.Palabras clave: Concesiones de derecho de uso del agua; Gestión de recursos hídricos; Gestión del agua en España.RBRH, Porto Alegre, v. 22, e41, 2017

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“…Hernandez‐Mora et al . () look at the Spanish experience, showing the politicization of IBTs and the limits to authoritative decision‐making. Gupta and van der Zaag () note that IBTs “give rise to distributional issues concerning the tangible and intangible costs and benefits that may be difficult to clarify and resolve.” This is also apparent in Berkoff's () study of China's South‐North transfer, which suggests that the economic and political costs of not transferring water to the north could be seen to be unacceptable, meaning political pragmatism often prevails.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The politics of interbasin transfers: socio‐environmental impacts and actor strategies in Tunisia

Fraj

Elloumi

Molle

2019

Natural Resources Forum

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Mediterranean wetlands are of key interest in the preservation of biodiversity. However, their ecological water requirement is in constant competition with human uses, particularly in a context of aridity and climate change. This paper examines the case of the Ichkeul Lake‐Lagoon system located in the north of Tunisia in a river basin that is heavily contributing to the water supply of southern regions through water transfers. It maps out the various actors involved, their stakes, discourses and strategies, and explains the current degradation of the Ichkeul system by unpacking the decision‐making power of these actors. It confirms that marginal social groups, ecosystems and next generations are the main parties affected by current water allocation patterns.

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Interbasin Water Transfers in Spain: Interregional Conflicts and Governance Responses

Cited by 52 publications

References 1 publication

Sticks and carrots: managing groundwater overabstraction in La Mancha, Spain

Sticks and carrots: managing groundwater overabstraction in La Mancha, Spain

Instruments of administrative concessions of water use rights in Spain

The politics of interbasin transfers: socio‐environmental impacts and actor strategies in Tunisia

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