Criteria for assessing the level of land–water integration in planning instruments in Andalusia, Spain

Abstract

ABSTRACTAcademia has come to realize that integrating water management and land resources can deliver a significant contribution to achieving sustainable outcomes. However, its implementation in daily practice is lagging behind. In order to address this knowledge–practice gap, this paper suggests the integration of land and water resources management can be improved through the incorporation of specific criteria in the territorial plans and river basin management plans. The proposed criteria were used to develop a methodology to assess the level of integration between water resources and land uses in current planning practice. The case of Andalusia in Spain provided the empirical focus.