Geoethics in groundwater management: the geoethical dilemma in La Galera aquifer, Spain

Abstract

AbstractGroundwater management is a major challenge in natural resources governance because of the uncertainty of the nature of the resource in estimating the reserve, the complexity of water dynamics and evolution and the irreversibility of exploitation, including possible contamination. Furthermore, from a political ecology point of view, discourses of power between involved social actors shape institutional frameworks, economic incentives and access to technology, which determine who gets water in practice and define the groundwater management as a common pool resource in terms of excludability and rivalry. Underlying cultural values in groundwater management are usually dismissed whilst they sustain traditional ways of living related to territorial identities and values that, in turn, may play a role in groundwater management and protection. Considering La Galera aquifer (Ebro River Basin, Spain) as a case study, the paper presents a geoethical dilemma as a method to explore the underlying conflicting values that may explain current management practices and a way forward to reverse current trends.