Coordinación entre la planificación hídrica y territorial en México y España

This thesis aims to determine whether harmonisation of underground water regulatory frameworks, within the context of unconventional gas resources (‘UGR’), is possible. This is particularly important given that UGR regulatory frameworks between the states differ. Economic theory considerations provide the lens through which harmonisation is viewed and also lend support to the thesis argument of a legislative framework that optimises these considerations.There are two fundamental principles that form the basis for the arguments advanced within the thesis. First, the balance between economic profit and environmental sustainability can be achieved if the efficiency criterion is fully realised within the principles of ecologically sustainable development (‘ESD’). By adopting the neoclassical approach to economics, the argument is advanced that harmonisation between the states could occur through standardised accounting methods, market approaches and similar, if not identical, governance frameworks. A states’ only intergovernmental agreement is suggested as a means to achieve this. It is against this backdrop that the second principle is advanced: for harmonisation to truly occur between the states, an adaptive governance framework must be embedded within states’ water planning instruments.To determine the effectiveness of these two propositions, the Cooper Basin (‘the Basin’), which overlaps the states of South Australia and Queensland, is used as a case study. Within the Basin’s parameters, a comparative analysis of states’ legislative objectives, baseline assessment framework and statutory water plans is undertaken to determine key indicators for harmonisation.This conjunction of economic theory and law frames the subsequent arguments in this thesis, the first of which is the utilisation of the fourth principle of ESD – improved valuation and pricing – to achieve harmonisation. It is determined that through a standardised approach to economic accounting within economic assessments of UGR projects, a coherent legislative framework could be realised. Subsequently, the role that institutions play in achieving efficient baseline data markets is examined. Here, two options are presented: ‘free trading’ and ‘regulated trading’ within a market. The thesis proposes the method of ‘regulated trading’ to best attain efficient results within the Basin based on the economic principles of NewInstitutional Economics. Lastly, the concept of adaptive governance is introduced within states’ water planning frameworks. It is reasoned that through the application of an evidence-based approach, adaptive governance framework and proposed regulatory methods, harmonisation could be achieved within the Basin through a states’ only intergovernmental agreement.This consolidation of economic theory and law is undertaken and interwoven throughout the thesis. In doing so, it is suggested that harmonisation between the states is possible, provided that economic principles that frame the legislative frameworks are substantively considered in the assessment process of a UGR project.

Reallocation of water and the hydrological effects of climate change: The upper Rio Grande Basin, Southwestern USA

We are faced with chronic water and energy vulnerabilities. Some argue that we will face two crises in the 21st century: a water crisis and an energy crisis (Brown 1998, 2003, Flavin 1999, Feffer 2008). Water will become increasingly scarce as water tables drop due to over-consumption and water quality will continue to deteriorate as a result of excessive contamination. Further, the present energy regime’s dependence on non-renewable sources has added considerable stress to the environment, including the prospect of climate change (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007). We are amidst a situation where we could be easily blamed for compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This paper first briefly describes a need for understanding the integrated considerations of water and energy in resource planning, especially during droughts. After introducing a conceptual framework of the water-energy integration, this paper reviews the results of a national survey of energy and water departments to see how these synergic benefits are explored at the state level. Lessons learned from our case studies serve as useful guidelines for state water-energy planning and program development. Finally, as an example case of the water-energy nexus, the concept of desalination is introduced with its implication on energy demand.

The present review paper focuses on selected cases around the world of land subsidence phenomena caused by the overexploitation of aquifers. Land subsidence is closely related to human activity. In particular, the development of technology has led to an exponential increase in industrial and agricultural production, as well as extensive urbanization, mainly in large cities. The action of those parameters, along with the effects of climate change, has led to further increases in water demands, which have mainly been served by overexploitation of the aquifers. Overexploitation, in conjunction with broader geo-tectonic conditions, can trigger severe land subsidence phenomena, resulting in significant damage affecting the physical and man-made environment. The scope of the present study is to provide a critical review of the existing literature on land subsidence due to aquifer overexploitation and highlight the main causal factors driving this process. The methods developed in the past and their outcomes hold significant importance in sustainable development strategic planning.

Sharing of water between competing uses of surface and groundwater systems across Australia is based on water plans. Based on adaptive management, planning involves the use of participatory processes to achieve a balance between consumptive and in-stream uses of water. Tensions between different stakeholders and values are particularly evident where overallocated water systems are required to be returned to an environmentally sustainable level of extraction, as shown in current processes for a Basin Plan in the Murray-Darling. Parliamentary enquiries have called for the incorporation of local approaches in water planning to ease these tensions. Two recent projects identify barriers and bridges to collaborative water planning, and in a variety of contexts, trial practical tools to address issues identified by stakeholders and agencies. Major findings include identification of factors that improve community confidence of plans. These results have implications for water planning in other countries especially where the science is contested, social values are uncertain and communities diverse.

Population increases and municipal and recreational uses, as well as growing uncertainties about the effects of global climate change, call for a new approach to water use and water resource management. Two powerful tools, climate change risk assessment and total water management, can be used to determine the vulnerability of water management systems to climate change. These tools can also be used to drive the development of integrated water management strategies and infrastructure to provide water supplies that are more resilient to the effects of climate change. One approach for assessing the risks of climate change to water systems is to use a dual analytical framework known as the threshold‐scenario risk assessment. The framework comprises two parts: the more qualitative threshold risk assessment approach; and, the quantitative scenario risk assessment approach. This article provides tools, resources, examples, and new, holistic solutions that can be used to manage both the built and natural portions of the water cycle. Water professionals will find this approach more effective than considering the components separately when addressing the challenges posed by global climate change.

Tainan, located in southwestern Taiwan, is a high-risk region for flooding and climate change effect and has a potential for future heavy rains. Groundwater pumping for aquaculture and irrigation along the coastal plain of Tainan is monitored due to subsidence. Predicting future subsidence and understanding the effect of climate change on subsidence can assist with regard to the planning and management of water and land resources in the early stages of subsidence, whose possible damage can thus be avoided. This study combines a physical model, called the nonlinear poroelastic model, and a gray-box model, called the gray system model, to evaluate and predict subsidence in the Tainan area. The subsidence under the climate change effect caused by changes in groundwater use is estimated. The climate change impact on subsidence and the potential for subsidence hazards are also analyzed. When taking into consideration the climate change effect, it is predicted that subsidence in Tainan will increase with increasing groundwater use. The maximum subsidence will increase from 29 cm (without additional discharge) to 34 cm (with additional 23.6 % discharge) and 35 cm (with additional 31.7 % discharge) in Xiaying District by 2039. The pattern of subsidence areas obtained by combining the nonlinear poroelastic and the gray system models is similar to that obtained using only the gray system model. However, the largest subsidence areas are different, and the subsidence quantity is much lower for the former due to the constraint of the physics-based poroelastic model. The combination of the nonlinear poroelastic model and the gray system model gives more reasonable estimations than either model can give alone. Large subsidence impact areas are located in the northwestern part of Tainan, and the largest impact is in Xiaying District. The potential for subsidence hazards is classified from the subsidence rates. The subsidence rate in Tainan is below 3 cm/year in the target years, and thus the potential for subsidence hazards is at middle and low levels. With climate change, the area with a middle level of potential for subsidence hazards extends across Yanshui, Xiaying, and Beimen Districts. From the study results, although the subsidence quantity is relatively low, rising sea levels and other effects of climate change expose Tainan to a high risk of flooding. Land and water resources should thus be managed to alleviate subsidence problems in the future.

The Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) Plan is held up by some as an exemplar for world‐leading water policy, whilst others have called it a failure. Total proposed recovery was to return 3200 GL of consumptive (e.g. namely irrigation) water use to non‐consumptive (e.g. environmental) use in the MDB, making it one of the largest planned reallocations of water resources in the world. As of June 2023, over AUD$13 billion was committed financially from the Australian government to Basin water reform, with AUD$7.7 billion spent to date on water recovery programs. The implementation of the Plan has been mired in controversy, and it missed its first water recovery targets that had been set for 2024, requiring substantial legislation amendments. This study provides a qualitative policy overview comparison of the success and failure of the two main water recovery programs implemented—buyback of water entitlements from willing sellers and subsidising irrigation infrastructure (on and off‐farm) projects. It concludes that contrary to the popular view held by many, the buyback water recovery program has been a success—achieving the majority of the water recovered to date, at the least cost, with the least negative externalities—in comparison to infrastructure programs.Points for practitioners Assessing success and failure of MDB water recovery programs requires establishing effectiveness, efficiency and equity criteria. Greater work on the benefits of water reallocation downstream and cultural water is needed. A comparison of MDB buyback water recovery programs with irrigation infrastructure programs found higher net benefits for buyback programs. Use first‐best policy to address each water policy objective, not one policy aimed at addressing multi‐objectives. Overall, the Plan.s overall success is still to be determined, given the difficulty in judging environmental outcome success that is intrinsically linked with other external factors.

Iterations of the Murray–Darling Basin Plan, designed to deal with environmental degradation, have raised questions about potential trade‐offs between agricultural production and environmental amenity. Some have suggested that environmental objectives will be achieved under the Plan at the expense of food security. This argument is critically evaluated in this article. We conclude that the Plan cannot plausibly undermine local food security. Other factors, such as commodity prices, are more significant internationally. We also conclude that the current Basin Plan policy option may lead to more deleterious consequences than simple water entitlements purchased to achieve the environmental water reserve.

Economic development, environmental protection, and public health are critical quality-of-life issues that depend on a reliable supply of water. Increased water demand and climate variability (drought) are two major factors that have the potential to limit future water availability in the state of South Carolina. The development of a comprehensive water-resources management plan for the state is vital for ensuring that an adequate and reliable supply of water will be available to sustain all future uses. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is tasked legislatively with developing water planning and policy initiatives in the state and has initiated a long-term process to update the state water plan, last published in 2004. One of the major recommendations in the 2004 plan was to form River Basin Councils (RBCs) in each of the major river basins in the state for the purpose of water planning. In 2014, SCDNR initiated a multiyear process to develop regional water plans that will serve as the foundation for a new state water plan. A central component of the process was the creation of a Planning Process Advisory Committee (PPAC) for the purpose of developing formal guidelines on the formation of RBCs and the development of river basin plans for the eight designated river basins in the state. The PPAC is composed of a diverse group of stakeholders and includes representation from water utilities, energy utilities, trade organizations, academia, conservation groups, agriculture, and the general public. The work of the PPAC culminated in a report, the South Carolina State Water Planning Framework, which was published in October of 2019. The river basin plans will identify current and future water availability issues and describe a management plan to address these issues to ensure that an adequate and reliable supply of water will be available for future generations. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of the state’s river basin planning process.

<p>Effects of climate change and variability in West African countries are heightening the vulnerability of local populations, which heavily rely on agriculture and natural resources through ecosystem services. Developing effective water management strategies for mitigation of these impacts requires knowledge of weather, especially rainfall, built upon continuous long-term records (in both time and space). Yet, most West African countries are poorly gauged, with a low density of reliable gauging stations, hampering applications such as water planning and weather forecasting. Recently, some daily global precipitation products have been developed, providing rainfall estimates derived from soil moisture observations using the innovative SM2RAIN (Soil Moisture to Rain) bottom-up inversion algorithm, hence treating the soil as a natural rain gauge. Since these products are gridded, they also provide continuous spatial information regarding rainfall. In this study, the accuracy of such three typical SM2RAIN products (SM2RAIN-CCI, GPM+SM2RAIN, SM2RAIN-ASCAT) at depicting rainfall estimates in Burkina Faso (West Africa, area of 272,200 km²) at 10 synoptic stations over the period 2007-2017 (9 years), at the daily, dekadal (10-days accumulation), monthly and annual timescales. The results reveal that at the daily timescale, all products performance is poor to moderate (KGE: 0.18 to 0.36). At higher time scales, however, both products performed satisfactorily to very good (<em>dekadal</em>: KGE: 0.61 to 0.79; <em>monthly</em>: KGE: 0.63 to 0.91; <em>annual</em>: KGE: 0.44 to 0.81), with SM2RAIN-CCI being consistently superior. Overall, SM2RAIN-CCI presented the lowest volumetric hit and miss bias at all stations, whereas SM2RAIN-GPM presented the lowest false bias. Also, SM2RAIN-CCI featured the highest ability at picturing the timing of occurrence of daily rainfall events (probability of detection, false alarm ratio, threat score) for various thresholds in the range of 0 to 25 mm. Finally, the ability of these products at picturing observed rainfall extremes have been evaluated through various ETCCDI climate indices, at which SM2RAIN-CCI and SM2RAIN-GPM presented equal performance, SM2RAIN-ASCAT being less good. These results provide a quantitative assessment of the SM2RAIN approach in the context of Burkina Faso and might help in the selection of an optimal product for further applications.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>ASCAT, Burkina Faso, CCI, GPM, rainfall, Sahel, SM2RAIN.</p>

With intensifying water crisis, environmental and ecological degradation, as well as ongoing climate change worldwide, integrated water resources management, which considers surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW), is becoming increasingly important. As integrated surface–subsurface hydrological models are capable of simulating water processes in an integrated and holistic fashion, provide spatially and temporally detailed description of the catchment-scale hydrological cycle, enable scenario analysis, and may be coupled with other models (e.g. solute transport model),  they are essential and useful tools in integrated water resources management. The SWAT-MODFLOW is such a surface-subsurface model. Excessive groundwater abstractions can decrease the groundwater table, and thereby affect the aquifer-connected surface water bodies, which may deteriorate the quality of aquatic ecosystems. At the same time, climate change affects inland water ecosystems not only by increasing the water temperatures but also by influencing hydrological processes (e.g. evapotranspiration) and thereby alter the flow regime. The overall objective of my Ph.D. project was to further develop and apply a newly integrated surface-subsurface model SWAT-MODFLOW in order to improve the understanding of SW-GW interactions, and to assess the impacts of groundwater abstractions and climate change on the hydrological regime and on stream biota. In the first part of my study (presented in manuscript 1), we further developed the SWAT-MODFLOW complex based on the previous publically available version (v.2) to enable the application of a Drain Package and an auto-irrigation routine. To better understand how groundwater pumping wells may influence streamflow patterns, we applied both the semi-distributed SWAT model and the further developed the integrated surface–subsurface hydrological, SWAT-MODFLOW model to a Danish, lowland, groundwater-dominated catchment - the Uggerby River Catchment (357 km2). Both models were calibrated and validated, and an approach based on PEST (Model-Independent Parameter Estimation and Uncertainty Analysis) was developed and utilized to enable simultaneous calibration of SWAT and MODFLOW parameters. The performance of the models when simulating streamflow and the simulated streamflow signals when running four groundwater abstraction scenarios through the two models were analyzed and compared. Both models demonstrated generally good performance of the temporal pattern of streamflow, albeit SWAT-MODFLOW performed somewhat better. In general, the simulated signals of SWAT-MODFLOW appeared more plausible than those of SWAT, and the SWAT-MODFLOW decrease in streamflow was much closer to the actual volume abstracted. The impact of drinking water abstraction on streamflow depletion simulated by SWAT was unrealistically low, and the streamflow increase caused by irrigation abstraction was exaggerated compared with SWAT-MODFLOW. To quantitatively assess the effects of groundwater abstractions and climate change on the hydrological regime and on stream biota, we combined the SWAT-MODFLOW model with novel nationwide-scale flow-biota empirical models for three key biological taxonomic identities (fish, macroinvertebrates, and macrophytes). We applied the integrated approach to the Uggerby River Catchment and assessed to what extent the flow regime and key biota in stream segments of different sizes may be altered by groundwater abstractions and climate change. In the second part of my study (presented in manuscript 2), we therefore analyzed and assessed the impacts of the present level of groundwater abstractions and a scenario with extreme groundwater abstraction for three subbasin outlets representing stream segments of different sizes. The current groundwater abstraction level had only minor impacts on the flow regime and stream biotic indices at the three subbasin outlets. The simulated extreme abstractions, however, led to significant impacts on the smallest stream but had comparatively minor effects on the larger streams. The fish index responded most negatively to the groundwater abstractions, followed by the macrophyte index, decreasing, respectively, by 23.5% and 11.2% in the small stream in the extreme groundwater abstraction scenario. No apparent impact was found on the macroinvertebrate index s in any of the three subbasin outlets. In the third part of my study (presented in manuscript 3), we analyzed and assessed the effects of predicted climate change towards the end of this century in two climate change scenarios of different greenhouse gas emission levels (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) for all subbasin outlets classified into streams of three size classes, and we compared the results with the reference period (1996-2005). The overall streamflow and groundwater discharge in the catchment decreased slightly in the RCP2.6 scenario, while it increased in the RCP8.5 scenario. The differently sized streams underwent different alterations in flow regime and also demonstrated different biotic responses to climate change as represented by the fish and macrophyte indices. Large and some small streams suffered most from climate change, as the fish and macrophyte quality indices decreased up to 14.4% and 11.2%, respectively, whereas these indices increased by up to 14.4% and 6.0% respectively, in medium and some small streams. The climate change effects were larger in the RCP8.5 scenario than in the RCP2.6 scenario, as expected. In conclusion, the further developed SWAT-MODFLOW model calibrated by PEST provided a better hydrological simulation performance and much more realistic signals relative to the semi-distributed SWAT model when assessing the impacts of groundwater abstractions for either irrigation or drinking water on streamflow; hence, it has great potential to be a useful tool in water resources management in groundwater-dominated catchments. The novel approach of combining SWAT-MODFLOW and flow-regime biota models is a useful tool to quantitatively assess the effects of groundwater abstractions on stream biota and thereby support water planning and regulations related to groundwater abstractions. To the best of my knowledge, the third part of my study is the first to quantitatively assess the impacts of streamflow alterations induced by climate change on stream biota beyond specific species, which would assist in water planning and regulations in the response to the challenges posed by climate change.

<p class="Resumen">La incorporación del cambio climático a la planificación hidrológica no es tarea sencilla, dada la alta incertidumbre asociada. En España, actualmente se consideran los escenarios futuros aplicando un coeficiente de reducción único a las series históricas de aportaciones. El presente artículo analiza la cuestión para el Sistema de Explotación Júcar, a la luz de los últimos escenarios de cambio climático (AR5) y comparando los resultados de tres modelos hidrológicos conceptuales. De los resultados se deduce que la disminución de precipitación y el aumento de temperatura podrían ser mayores en cabecera que en las subcuencas mediterráneas. Asimismo, la dispersión respecto al posible porcentaje de reducción del recurso es elevada, pudiendo resultar muy superior a las previsiones del Plan Hidrológico. Por tanto, sería necesario analizar la robustez y resiliencia del sistema frente a un rango plausible de situaciones de estrés, para identificar dónde es más vulnerable y proponer medidas de adaptación.</p>

Formal and informal governance mechanisms of machinery cooperatives: The case of Quebec

A lo largo del artículo emergen varios elementos con los cuales se puede establecer la incidencia de las políticas públicas en las tomas de decisión en el territorio, sobre todo en la utilización de tres instrumentos de planificación y de gestión territorial como el Plan de Desarrollo (PD), el Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial (POT) y los Planes de Manejo Integral de Cuencas Hidrográficas (Pomca), estructurados por medio de las Unidades de Planificación y de Gestión Territorial (UPGT). Estos permiten articular el desarrollo de programas y proyectos en un territorio asociado en municipios y departamentos, con el motivo de invertir y localizar infraestructuras que reduzcan la vulnerabilidad y amenaza en áreas que han sido objeto de deslizamientos e inundaciones e intervenidas por el Gobierno nacional mediante la Ley 1523 de 2012 de Gestión del Riesgo y complementadas por otras normas que fortalecen la dimensión ambiental, social, económica y administrativa que coadyuvan a un ordenamiento territorial más integral. La participación de actores y sectores públicos y privados y la sociedad civil son coordinados con la puesta en marcha de los Comités de Integración Territorial (CIT), que jalonan los procesos administrativos alrededor del riesgo y de los desastres naturales asociados, en muchos casos, con las actividades humanas