Search

Multi-jurisdictional water governance issues remain an ongoing challenge in transboundary and other water resource areas. Achieving coordinated and effective governance at the local, state, federal and international levels remains critical for good water governance. Under Australia's 1901 Constitution, states have the power to allocate water resources. To date, water resources in numerous areas have been overallocated to consumptive use, causing increasing environmental sustainability challenges. This is particularly prevalent in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), which spans four states and one territory, posing significant governance challenges. Due to the difficulties of changing and coordinating water management across multiple states, a growing number of Australians are calling for a complete Federal takeover of water resources through constitutional amendment. To change the Constitution, a double majority vote would be required, namely from both the Australian public nationally and from a majority of voters in a majority of the states. This study investigates the Australian public's desire for a Commonwealth takeover of water resources, focussing specifically on the MDB. It finds only lukewarm support for a Commonwealth takeover of water resources, with less than four in ten participants supporting the proposal. Overall, the ACT and South Australia are the only areas with a slight majority in favour of the takeover. One of the strongest predictors of support was location (such as living in a MDB state, and especially South Australia), but other significant factors included age, education, children, home ownership and trust in the Federal government and university researchers. We conclude that a complete water resource takeover by Federal government is highly unlikely to occur, but offer insights into other areas where increasing Federal intervention is warranted., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Water crises in Latin America are more a consequence of poor management than resource scarcity. Addressing water management issues through better coordination, identification of problems and solutions, and agreement on common objectives to operationalize integrated water resources management (IWRM) could greatly improve water governance in the region. Composite indices have great potential to help overcome capacity and information challenges while supporting better IWRM. We applied one such index, the Freshwater Health Index (FHI) in three river basins in Latin America (Alto Mayo, Perú; Bogotá, Colombia; and Guandu, Brazil) to assess freshwater ecosystem vitality, ecosystem services, and the water governance system in place. The approach included convening management agencies, water utilities, planning authorities, local NGOs and industries, community groups and researchers to co-implement the FHI. The results provide detailed information on the ecological integrity of each basin and the sustainability of the ecosystem services being provided. All three basins show very low scores for governance and stakeholder engagement, thus improving both in the region should be a priority. The results also shed light on how the FHI framework can help inform decision-making to improve IWRM implementation by facilitating stakeholder engagement while contributing to coordination, identification of problems and solutions as well as agreement on common objectives. Because implementation of IWRM is part of the solution for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.5 ("By 2030, implement IWRM at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate"), our case studies can serve as examples to other Latin American countries to achieve SDG 6.5., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: In South Africa, community participation has been embraced through the development of progressive policies to address past inequities. However, limited information is available to understand community involvement in priority setting, planning and decision-making in the development and implementation of public services., Objective: This narrative review aims to provide evidence on forms, extents, contexts and dynamics of community participation in primary health care (PHC) and water governance in South Africa and draw cross-cutting lessons. This paper focuses on health and water governance structures, such as health committees, Catchment Management Agencies (CMA), Water User Associations (WUAs), Irrigation Boards (IBs) and Community Management Forums (CMFs)., Methods: Articles were sourced from Medline (Ovid), EMBASE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, WHO Global Health Library, Global Health and Science Citation Index between 1994 and 2020 reporting on community participation in health and water governance in South Africa. Databases were searched using key terms to identify relevant research articles and grey literature. Twenty-one articles were included and analysed thematically., Results: There is limited evidence on how health committees are functioning in all provinces in South Africa. Existing evidence shows that health committees are not functioning effectively due to lack of clarity on roles, autonomy, power, support, and capacity. There was slow progress in establishment of water governance structures, although these are autonomous and have mechanisms for democratic control, unlike health committees. Participation in CMAs/WUAs/IBs/CMFs is also not effective due to manipulation of spaces by elites, lack of capacity of previously disadvantaged individuals, inadequate incentives, and low commitment to the process by stakeholders., Conclusion: Power and authority in decision-making, resources and accountability are key for effective community participation of marginalized people. Practical guidance is urgently required on how mandated participatory governance structures can be sustained and linked to wider governance systems to improve service delivery.

Waterscapes with mining activities are often sites of water resource degradation and contestation. To prevent this, policy-makers deploy an increasing number of measures that purportedly align the interests of different water users. In Mongolia, mining-related protests led to the prohibition of mining in and close to rivers. However, implementation of these regulations has been slow. In this paper, we investigate why that is the case, drawing on an extended elaboration of the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to disentangle the web of formal and informal rules, incentive structures, discourses, and other elements that characterize Mongolian miningscapes. We find that i) a combination of insufficient resources for lower-level actors, large areas to cover and high mobility of extractive operations, ii) a lack of information among implementing entities, combined with time pressure on decision-making and a lack of involvement of local actors, and iii) cultural norms and political context conditions that privilege the pursuit of private interests are key obstacles. Irrespective of these challenges, the prohibition of mining in riverbeds entrenches a social imaginary in the Mongolian governance framework that prioritizes water resources protection over resource extraction, offering a counterweight to dominant discourses that cast mining as a necessary requirement for social and economic development. Our analysis illustrates the usefulness of looking at implementation processes through the lens of mining- and waterscapes to identify how social power is embedded in social-political artifacts and impacts hydro-social outcomes. Strong discrepancies between the formal description of governance processes and interactions on the ground support the need to look at how processes play out in practice in order to understand implementation obstacles., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Existing studies rarely examine the relationship between network structure and network performance. To fill this research gap, this article collects inter-local collaboration network data from 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region of China from 2009 to 2015. Based on the institutional collective action framework and social capital theory, we propose bridging and bonding hypotheses regarding the impact of network structures on governance performance. We employ social network analysis and panel data regression models to test the hypotheses. The results show that the coefficients for closeness centrality and clustering coefficient are statistically significant in this analysis, Wuxi played a central role in the collaboration network and the region had formed a close partner network, confirming the positive effect of bridging and bonding network social capital structures on network performance.

The focus of the present study is on the allocation of responsibilities for addressing environmental risks in transboundary water governance. Effective environmental management in transboundary situations requires coordinated and cooperative action among diverse individuals and organizations. Currently, little insight exists on how to foster collective action such that individuals and organizations take the responsibility to address transboundary environmental risks. On the basis of 4 cases of transboundary water governance, it will be shown how certain allocation principles are more likely to encourage cooperative action. The main lesson from these case studies is that the allocation of responsibilities should be seen as a risk distribution problem, including considerations of effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:371-375. © 2016 SETAC., (© 2016 SETAC.)

Intensive exploitation and continuous consumption of groundwater reserves (groundwater mining) have been real facts for decades in arid and semiarid areas. A summary of experience in the hydrogeological, economic, social and ethical consequences of groundwater intensive and mining exploitation in Gran Canaria and Tenerife Islands, in the Canarian Archipelago, is presented. Groundwater abstraction is less than recharge, but a significant outflow of groundwater to the sea cannot be avoided, especially in Tenerife, due to its younger volcanic coastal formations. Consequently, the intensive aquifer groundwater development by means of wells and water galleries (tunnels) has produced a groundwater reserve depletion of about 2km(3). Should current groundwater abstraction cease, the recovery time to close-to-natural conditions is from decades to one century, except in the mid and high elevations of Tenerife, where this recovery is not possible as aquifer formations will remain permanently drained by the numerous long water galleries. The socio-economic circumstances are complex due to a long standing history of water resources exploitation, successive social changes on each island, and well-established groundwater water trading, with complex relationships that affect water governance and the resulting ethical concerns. Gran Canaria and Tenerife are in an advanced groundwater exploitation stage and have a large water demand. They are good examples that allow drawing guidelines to evaluate groundwater development on other small high islands. After presenting the hydrogeological background, the socio-economic results are discussed to derive general knowledge to guide on water governance., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Organizations at the local and regional scales often face the challenge of developing policy mechanisms rapidly and concurrently, whether in response to expanding mandates, newly identified threats, or changes in the political environment. In the Canadian Province of Ontario, rapid, concurrent policy development was considered desirable by 19 regional organizations tasked with developing policies for protection of drinking water sources under very tight and highly prescribed mandates. An explicit policy transfer approach was used by these organizations. Policy transfer refers to using knowledge of policies, programs, and institutions in one context in the development of policies, programs, and institutions in another. This paper assesses three online mechanisms developed to facilitate policy transfer for source water protection in Ontario. Insights are based on a survey of policy planners from the 19 regional organizations who used the three policy transfer tools, supplemented by an analysis of three policies created and transferred among the 19 regional source water protection organizations. Policy planners in the study indicated they had used policy transfer to develop source protection policies for their regions-a finding confirmed by analysis of the text of policies. While the online policy transfer tools clearly facilitated systematic policy transfer, participants still preferred informal, direct exchanges with their peers in other regions over the use of the internet-based policy transfer mechanisms created on their behalf.

Notwithstanding ambiguities, long-term economic resurgence in Afghanistan amidst water insecurity exacerbated by climate change decisively requires a water protection strategy that will complement a multitude of agroindustrial and socioeconomic activities in an environmentally sustainable and climate resilient manner. In this paper, we begin with a perspective on institutions, legislation, and key issues in the water sector of Afghanistan. We then embark on linking the integrated water resources management (IWRM) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) approaches as a novel framework for strategic water management and subsequently propose a strategy for post-conflict water protection based on the coalesced IWRM and SEA. Context relevant good practices worldwide are presented to provide empirical evidence for this approach whereas perceived opportunities and vulnerabilities in the Afghan context are discussed. Examination of post-conflict water sector initiatives in Afghanistan reveals the critical role of foreign assistance in both water infrastructure rehabilitation and modernization of the institutional aspect of water management. The introduction of IWRM as the basis for a progressive water sector strategy has been seen as a major milestone which is detrimentally matched by substantial deficiency in national capacity for implementation. Concurrently, the role of extra-national actors in relevant policy interventions has been considered catalytic despite criticisms of proposed regulations as being anachronistic to field realities. Therefore the view is maintained to practicable policies by accelerating policy learning in the country's water and environment sectors to encourage homegrown water strategy innovations. Demonstratively, mainstreaming IWRM-SEA coalescence will bridge institutional gaps for better feedback between local and national water stakeholders, providing a venue for improved delivery of water services to sustain post-conflict socioeconomic recovery and promote environmental stewardship., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Reliable and secure water resources for rural communities in Africa continue to be at the forefront of the challenges facing these communities in the last 20 years, particularly for smallholders, agricultural sector productivity, food security and economic development increasingly exacerbated by climate change and rapidly growing urban populations. Addressing these challenges requires well-structured policy in the water sector, to implement commitments and investments effectively, and ultimately ensure the quantity and quality of water supply. The AWV 2025 for Africa was commissioned by the World Water Council in 2000 to create a framework to target these aspects in Africa. We examine the progress towards achieving this vision after two decades, through the initiatives, government policies and water strategies that have been implemented. We take a closer look at the top-down impact of the AWV 2025 in the national context of Kenya and its rural population. While the water sector has evolved since 2000, it remains difficult to meet international standards, both at the continental level and in Kenya. This requires continued efforts to strengthen good governance in the water sector, address the financial challenges associated with the expansion of the infrastructure, and developing decentralized approaches to water supply provision. HIGHLIGHTS Development of secure water resources is critical for rural communities to achieve climate resilience.; The Africa Water Vision 2025 outlined four goals to promote water governance.; Limited success has been reported in delivering these goals.; Investment has focussed on private water services and urban infrastructure.; Water law reforms in Kenya have been enacted, but their impact has been minimal in rural areas.;

Water security in Central Asia has been discussed by researchers and international organizations using hydrological, engineering, and modeling approaches. Various frameworks conceptualize water security through technical, socio-economic, and environmental aspects. This study attempts to identify the current trends of perceptions of experts about water security in Central Asian countries and Afghanistan as assessed through different regional and international experts with relevant knowledge and experience. The experts originate from diverse professional backgrounds like ministries, NGOs, international organizations, research, and academic institutes. The analysis was conducted through the Delphi approach, which has been widely used to identify experts’ views by reaching a consensus on various subjects. The Delphi method assisted in the elicitation of experts’ opinions about different water security dimensions in the overall region and each Central Asia country that have been suggested from the relevant literature. The two-round questionnaire was developed to infer the experts’ views (round 1) on water security in Central Asia and then identify the agreement’s rate with the initial findings (round 2). The results have shown that, while the relevant scientific literature gives priority to environmental factors, the experts emphasize water security’s economic aspects. Experts suggested including transboundary challenges, legislative and institutional weaknesses in assessing water security in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Respondents highlighted the low effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the current institutions and mechanisms that dealt with water security-related issues in Central Asia and suggested strengthening water governance in the region.

Water is the basis of life, the foundation of nature, and the pillar of social, economic, and cultural development of societies. So, the supply of safe and consumable water has always been a concern. On the other hand, a major challenge of modern societies is the lack of precipitation and frequent droughts. Thus, the present paper assesses the principles of water governance in the Sistan region with respect to the development of water exploitation systems with an environmental approach and presents an integrated multi-attribute decision-making model with a water governance approach in the Sistan region. The simple additive weighting (SAW) method that is used here is one of the multiple attribute decision making (MADM) methods. The indicators of water governance principles were derived from the opinions of 30 water experts, faculty members, and water users in the Sistan region by the SAW method, and weights were assigned to them to form MADM matrices. According to the results, six indicators were derived as the indicators determining the principles of water governance. ‘Traditional users’ was selected as the strongest system and ‘irrigation and drainage networks exploitation companies’ as the weakest system. Also, according to the results of water experts, the first rank was assigned to ‘irrigation and drainage networks exploitation companies’ (A2) with the final crisp score of 6.818 followed by ‘water user cooperatives’ (A4) with the final crisp score of 6.515 in the second rank and ‘private firms’ (A6) with the final crisp score of 6.308 in the third rank.

Developing robust systems for monitoring and evaluating water quality is crucial for assessing ecosystem integrity and the impacts of human activities on nature. It also enables the assessment of water management effectiveness, governance systems, and the design and evaluation of public policies. However, designing such monitoring programs is complex due to multiple constraints like eco-hydrological knowledge, economic resources, human capital availability, and governance dynamics. This study combines quantitative and qualitative analyses (virtual watershed methodologies, empirical modeling, and theoretical frameworks of water governance) to evaluate the robustness of water quality monitoring systems and identify strengthening alternatives (including institutional design and public policy). The inter and transdisciplinary strategy is tested in the evaluation of eutrophication processes in Uruguay. Major spatial patterns of water quality at a national scale were identified, highlighting the influence of land use, soil types, point sources of pollution, and livestock on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Current monitoring efforts and spatial coverage fall short of adequately addressing water management needs, especially in Uruguay's socio-economic context. Based on the weaknesses identified, an increase in the number of stations (and their spatial distribution) is proposed to have a better representation of biogeophysical and socio-economic conditions diversity. The challenge involves an important transformation (i.e. establishing a network system of public institutional nodes at national and regional levels) due to the country's centralism, fragmented water governance system, and scarce economic assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In Brazil, there are about 2.5 million tubular wells in which 88% of them are illegal, extracting more than 17,580 Mm3/yr. This irregular use may cause sustainability issues that may be economic, social, or environmental (overexploitation, well losses and associated increases of water conflicts; aquifer contamination; and land subsidence). This paper aims to address the illegal wells in Brazil and discuss measures to minimize it. Conclusions indicate that users do not understand the aquifer dynamic and, therefore, do not have a proper understanding of problems such as loss of water quality and quantity caused by the excess of groundwater exploitation. This creates a false idea that there are no water conflicts among users, which causes a lack of engagement by society. Without groundwater users and stakeholder pressure, the government does not aim to control or close illegal wells, and the “vicious cycle” persists. The one way to break this “vicious cycle” would be programs of social communication and users’ participation, coupled with improvements to the control apparatus and inspection from State institutions, making sure that there is correct management and not only legislations that are not applied.

Water security in Central Asia has been discussed by researchers and international organizations using hydrological, engineering, and modeling approaches. Various frameworks conceptualize water security through technical, socio-economic, and environmental aspects. This study attempts to identify the current trends of perceptions of experts about water security in Central Asian countries and Afghanistan as assessed through different regional and international experts with relevant knowledge and experience. The experts originate from diverse professional backgrounds like ministries, NGOs, international organizations, research, and academic institutes. The analysis was conducted through the Delphi approach, which has been widely used to identify experts' views by reaching a consensus on various subjects. The Delphi method assisted in the elicitation of experts' opinions about different water security dimensions in the overall region and each Central Asian country that have been suggested from the relevant literature. The two-round questionnaire was developed to infer the experts' views (round 1) on water security in Central Asia and then identify the agreement's rate with the initial findings (round 2). The results have shown that, while the relevant scientific literature gives priority to environmental factors, the experts emphasize water security's economic aspects. Experts suggested including transboundary challenges, legislative and institutional weaknesses in assessing water security in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Respondents highlighted the low effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the current institutions and mechanisms that dealt with water security-related issues in Central Asia and suggested strengthening water governance in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Armed conflict has the potential to disrupt water systems that are crucial to environmental and human wellbeing. Yet there is no comprehensive overview of scientific evidence on the impact of armed conflicts on water resources and their management. This paper assesses the relevant scientific evidence through a systematic literature review. We discern conceptual, empirical, and methodological approaches adopted in the reviewed publications and synthesize the overarching research results. Common research topics across the body of literature include the role of water resources in armed conflicts, either as a casualty or as a weapon used by conflict parties, and the implications of armed conflict on water resources management, such as basic service provision and water governance. The analysis also pinpoints the research field's focus on empirical studies based on a small number of cases, and highlights a lack of conceptual engagement with the notion of armed conflict. Future research on water resources and their management in conflict settings needs to be more transparent on conceptual frameworks and assumptions to facilitate knowledge integration across different studies. This article is categorized under:Planning Water > Engineering WaterWater Governance > Human Water [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urban growth and high population density have become a problem for urban water resources, especially in developing countries. In general, the pollution of rivers and degradation of ecosystems are the result of both management failures and lack of sewage treatment. River restoration appears as a solution to improve this scenario, but it is common for there to be an absence of a systemic vision in these projects. Thus, this work analysed one of these projects as an initial approach to create coherent (qualitative) shared perspectives on the same problem. This project was developed in a Brazilian university territory in response to a Public Civil Action. Rivers within the university surroundings are degraded due to sewage disposal and wastewater pollution from external and internal sources within the university, but the programme actions contemplate only interventions within the perimeter of the university while excluding the other parts of its watershed. We analyse this problem under a Systems Thinking approach by using causal loop diagrams, being clear that ecosystems cannot be reduced to territorial limits only. The systemic map shows many actions that contribute to the water quality degradation, with emphasis on illegal dumping of wastewater (sewage) and land use change in the upstream areas prior to the university. Point measures are palliative and do not guarantee the quality of river water. Regulation of impervious surfaces and correct disposal of wastewater can improve the current panorama, but greater integration between stakeholders and other key actors is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of water resources in India has been a challenge whose magnitude has risen manifolds over the past 50 years due to a variety of reasons, notably the rising demands and growing environmental degradation. Broadly, most of the challenges in water management in India can be categorized in the following groups: (a) water availability, variability and increasing withdrawals, (b) environment and quality, (c) project construction, (d) water sharing disputes, (e) water governance and institutions, and (f) challenges induced due to climate and land-use cover changes. Here we discuss each of these challenges in detail. It is suggested that conservation of water and management of variabilities should be a cornerstone of water resources management in India. This note also suggests remedies to address the challenges and covers new initiatives by the Government of India (GoI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua is the property of Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua (IMTA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The studies about the quality of groundwater resources are scarce in Mexico, and often they do not consider indicators of geogenic background and anthropogenic pollution. So, we examined the quality of groundwater from five wells of the Apan aquifer (Hidalgo, Mexico). Four of these wells were taken as reference samples, while the Santa Cruz well was considered as the study site because it is locally recognized as a problem due to the geogenic presence of manganese. In all the sites, variables related to mineralization processes were analyzed, and a quality index (MWQI, from mineralization-based water quality index) was calculated. In the study site samples, we also determined several indicators of geogenic background (arsenic, manganese, and other heavy metals) and anthropogenic pollution (as organic matter, nutrients, and several microbial indicators), from which another quality index (GAWQI, from geogenic background and anthropogenic pollution-based water quality index) was calculated. The MWQI values classified the groundwater from all the sites, even that from the Santa Cruz well, as "excellent for drinking." When the GAWQI was computed for the Santa Cruz site, this groundwater was found "unsuitable for drinking" due to its extremely high manganese content. We conclude that the GAWQI could represent a valuable communication tool to inform the population and the authorities about the quality of the groundwater resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economics plays a double role in the field of water management, firstly as a powerful analytical tool supporting water allocation and policy decisions, and secondly in the form of policy instruments (water pricing, markets, etc.). This Special Issue presents a platform for sharing results connecting excellent interdisciplinary research applied to different regional and sectoral problems around the world. The 22 peer-reviewed papers collected in this Special Issue have been grouped into five broad categories: Water valuation and accounting; Economic instruments; Cost effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis; andWater productivity and Governance. They are briefly presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Water governance and stakeholder engagement are receiving research attention for their role in formulating and implementing solutions to the world's critical water challenges. The inspiration for this Special Issue came from our desire to provide a platform for sharing results and informing the global water governance community about the wealth of excellent interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and projects being carried out around the world. The 20 peer-reviewed papers collected in this Special Issue have been grouped into three categories: stakeholder engagement, tools for building water management and governance capacity, and perspectives on water management and governance. Following a brief summary of the papers, concluding remarks that reflect on what the papers, taken as a whole, contribute to our understanding are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este texto visa analisar a oferta e o estresse hídricos na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. Para tal, com base em dados secundários, analisa documentos à luz da literatura para discutir a oferta e o uso dos recursos hídricos. Como conclusão, indica a necessidade de aumentar o debate em torno do uso da água e instalar novos foros de gestão da água que envolvam atores para além da escala metropolitana.This text aims to analyze supply and water stress in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. To this end, based on secondary data, analyze documents in the light of literature to discuss the offer and use of water resources. The conclusions indicate the need to raise the debate on water use and install new water management forums involving actors beyond the metropolitan scale.

Adaptive management (AM) uses targeted monitoring, and structured and iterative integration of new knowledge of project operations to improve future management practices. AM is increasingly cited in groundwater management plans because it purportedly overcomes inherent uncertainties in estimating future environmental responses to human activities. Yet, there are currently only general recommendations available for applying AM for groundwater management. In response, we develop preliminary guidance on the application of "adaptive groundwater management" (AGM) by amending existing AM theory to better account for the management challenges of groundwater-affecting activities. Three key factors emerge that are critical in the design of AGM strategies, including: (1) the severity of groundwater impacts from project operations, (2) the permanence of groundwater impacts, and (3) the level of uncertainty in groundwater system responses to project operations. These three factors are especially important considerations in stakeholder engagement and in assessing the applicability of AGM. The above three key factors are integrated into definitions of "active" and "passive" forms of AGM. Passive AGM strategies meet minimum thresholds for structured and iterative management approaches that incorporate uncertainty reduction, while active AGM strategies include additional constraints that place a greater emphasis on uncertainty quantification and reduction. The preliminary guidance on AGM given in this paper should be extended through consultation with groundwater industry groups and regulators to urgently develop formal AGM guidelines, thereby improving awareness and accountability of the risks and manageability of future groundwater impacts. • Groundwater-specific interpretation of adaptive management principles is proposed. • Active and passive forms of adaptive groundwater management (AGM) defined. • Reversibility, severity of impacts, and level of uncertainty are pivotal in AGM. • Application of AGM will improve transparency in groundwater management. • AGM guidelines should be developed in consultation with regulators and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economics plays a double role in the field of water management, firstly as a powerful analytical tool supporting water allocation and policy decisions, and secondly in the form of policy instruments (water pricing, markets, etc.). This Special Issue presents a platform for sharing results connecting excellent interdisciplinary research applied to different regional and sectoral problems around the world. The 22 peer-reviewed papers collected in this Special Issue have been grouped into five broad categories: Water valuation and accounting; Economic instruments; Cost effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis; and Water productivity and Governance. They are briefly presented.

Water governance and stakeholder engagement are receiving research attention for their role in formulating and implementing solutions to the world’s critical water challenges. The inspiration for this Special Issue came from our desire to provide a platform for sharing results and informing the global water governance community about the wealth of excellent interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and projects being carried out around the world. The 20 peer-reviewed papers collected in this Special Issue have been grouped into three categories: stakeholder engagement, tools for building water management and governance capacity, and perspectives on water management and governance. Following a brief summary of the papers, concluding remarks that reflect on what the papers, taken as a whole, contribute to our understanding are provided.