Sustainability Appraisal of Water Governance Regimes: The Case of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Abstract

Sustainability appraisals produce evidence for how well water governance regimes operate and where problems exist. This evidence is particularly relevant for regions that face water scarcity and conflicts. In this study, we present a criteria-based and participatory sustainability appraisal of water governance in a region with such characteristics-the dry tropics of NW Costa Rica. Data collection included 47 interviews and three stakeholder workshops. The appraisal was conducted through a collaborative and iterative process between researchers and stakeholders. Out of the 25 sustainability criteria used, seven posed a significant challenge for the governance regime. We found challenges faced by the governance regime primarily clustered around and were re-enforced by failing coordination related to the use, management, and protection of groundwater resources; and inadequate leadership to identify collective goals and to constructively deliberate alternative ways of governing water with diverse groups. The appraisal yielded some positive impact in the study area, yet we found its application provided only limited strategic information to support broader problem-solving efforts. Insights from this study suggest key starting points for sustainable water governance in the Central American dry tropics, including investing in increasingly influential collective organizations that are already active in water governance; and leveraging policy windows that can be used to build confidence and disperse more governing authority to regional and local governing actors that are in-tune with the challenges faced in the dry tropics. We conclude the article with reflections on how to produce research results that are actionable for sustainable water governance.

Climate and Water Conflicts Coevolution from Tropical Development and Hydro‐Climatic Perspectives: A Case Study of Costa Rica

“…Therefore, to deal with the duplication of responsibilities and lack of coordination, the new and updated legislation could incorporate bigger management units based on the limits of watersheds in order to group those municipalities that share water resources and need to develop truly integrated water supply and sanitation plans. Third, there is still a high degree of uncertainty regarding water supply and use of groundwater reserves because of inadequate regulatory policies and poor water governance (Biswas and Tortajada, ; Kuzdas et al ., , ; Schulz et al ., ). This is especially true if the increasing and unsustainable demand for water resources related to real estate and construction development in Costa Rica is taken into account (de Albuquerque, ).…”

“…Recent work by Kuzdas and Wiek () and Kuzdas et al . (, , b) in Guanacaste explored the implementation of scenarios that portray alternative governance strategies in order to support positive change in regions that experience persistent water problems.…”

Developing a Hydrologic Monitoring Network in Data‐Scarce Regions Using Open‐Source Arduino Dataloggers

“…The region is characterized by a wet-dry tropical climate (mean annual rainfall 2232 mm) with intensive rainfalls during the wet season from May to November and long annual dry seasons from December to April (Waylen et al, 1996). In the rural farming communities of the region, water is disputed between agriculture, household, and tourism uses during the dry season, with many communities experiencing scarcity (Kuzdas et al, 2014). In the region, available hydrologic data is limited and continuous high-frequency hydrologic data is virtually nonexistent, creating serious knowledge gaps for water resources managers.…”

Caracterización de usos del recurso hídrico en el Sistema de Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia

“…El agua que utilizan los grupos humanos es uno de los vínculos más evidentes entre comunidad y áreas protegidas, y una inadecuada gestión del recurso podría conducir a daños sociales y ambientales irreversibles (Kuzdas, Wiek, Warner, Vignola, & Morataya, 2014). En las 2019, Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua Open Access bajo la licencia CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncsa/4.0/) Tecnología y ciencias del agua, ISSN 2007-2422, 10(5), 01-33.…”

“…En las 2019, Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua Open Access bajo la licencia CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncsa/4.0/) Tecnología y ciencias del agua, ISSN 2007-2422, 10(5), 01-33. DOI: 10.24850/j-tyca-2019-05-01 5 relaciones entre comunidades y áreas protegidas se evidencian problemáticas socio-ambientales generadas por el uso y aprovechamiento de los elementos naturales, haciéndose necesario evaluar y conocer la sostenibilidad en el manejo de los mismos (Kuzdas et al, 2014;Leite, Sanches, & Ferreira, 2016). Las reglamentaciones de gestión del agua suelen ser ampliamente criticadas por no considerar las realidades locales, pues muchos de los conflictos relacionados con el agua son más bien locales, de baja intensidad y, a menudo, exclusivamente relacionados con factores sociopolíticos y variables en los sistemas de gobierno y usuarios del recurso (Hileman, Hicks, & Jones, 2016).…”