The Paradox of Water Abundance in Mato Grosso, Brazil

Abstract

Abstract:While much effort has gone into studying the causes and consequences of water scarcity, the concept of water abundance has received considerably less attention in academic literature. Here, we aim to address this gap by providing a case study on the perceptions and political implications of water abundance in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Combining a political ecology perspective on contemporary water governance (empirically based on stakeholder interviews with members of the state's water sector) with an overview of the environmental history of this hydrosocial territory, we argue, first, that water abundance has become a foundational element of Mato Grosso's identity, situated in the wider context of natural resource abundance more generally and second, that water abundance today is a contested concept witnessing discursive struggles around its political implications and meaning. More specifically, there is a clash between the dominant conceptualisation of water abundance as a foundation for rich economic, ecological, social, and cultural values and benefits, often espoused by members of the political and economic elite, e.g., for marketing purposes, and a more critical but less widespread conceptualisation of water abundance as a source of carelessness, lack of awareness, and poor water governance, typically put forth by more informed technical staff of the public sector and civil society activists. By providing a distinct treatment and discussion of the concept of water abundance, our research has relevance for other water-rich regions beyond the immediate regional context.

Value landscapes and their impact on public water policy preferences

“…This points to problems with its political legitimacy, if understood as majority support of the population (Bekkers & Edwards 2007). It may also indicate that the pessimism of many water professionals in Mato Grosso about lacking environmental awareness among the general population (Schulz & Ioris 2017) may not necessarily be justified. Rather, environmental degradation would be the result of the disproportional political clout of a minority who prioritise economic water values.…”

“…For the case of governance-related values we were not aware of any instrument that would have been widely tested and developed (Schulz 2018), whereas assigned values are too context-specific to be elicited with a standardised measurement instrument (Ives & Kendal 2014;Seymour et al 2010). Thus we relied on the list of values identified by Schulz et al (2017b) (and Schulz & Ioris 2017 in an exploratory study with local stakeholders to design our survey items, assuming that these would be appropriate in the local context (see Tables 1 and 2). For both governance-related values and assigned values, r and were then asked to rate the relative importance of remaining items on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating equal importance, and 1 indicating no importance.…”

Online and Offline Representations of Biocultural Diversity: A Political Ecology Perspective on Nature-Based Tourism and Indigenous Communities in the Brazilian Pantanal

“…Gottgens et al [56] (p. 301) mention the "tyranny of small decisions" which refers to the detrimental cumulative effect of small-scale actions. Ioris [64] (p. 239) emphasises the lack of shared understanding about who is responsible for environmental degradation, and observes that stakeholders often point at 'vague others' who are deemed responsible for the damage done (see also [75]).…”

“…Ribeirinhos are also Pantaneiros in that they have a distinct lifestyle in close interaction with the landscape. But with their strong dependence on water they differ from other Pantaneiros, such as the Fazendeiros, the farm owners who "often live in cities neighbouring the wetland" [75] (p. 39), or from substantial populations in the Pantanal region dwelling in small, century old cities like Poconé, Barão de Melgaço and Corumbá [58]. In sum, the 'Pantaneiro' is an anthropological concept difficult to delineate as it may refer to one or multiple social identity constructions.…”

Wastewater reuse: Perception and social acceptance

“…The notion of abundance promotes the perception that abundance solves the problems of water scarcity (Fielding et al, 2018). Abstractly, water presents traces of relationships, which can also be perceived in symbolic terms, in different ways, including marginalization and degradation (Schulz & Ioris, 2017), which leads to the establishment of hydrosocial territories, such as regions that develop the feeling of control over water.…”