Understanding the role of behavioural change mechanisms in groundwater use conflicts - lessons from The Netherlands

Abstract

Water conservation for healthy ecosystems is increasingly difficult in the context of climate change and population expansion. This paper tests the potential of a behavioural framework to understand the actionable roots of resource conflicts. The framework considers the motivations, powers/resources and knowledge of conflicting actors, next to their institutional freedom to conceptualise sustainability, and enables reflections on the prospects for conflict resolution, following the application of persuading, enabling and constraining mechanisms of behavioural change. A Dutch case-study confirms the framework's potential to dissect resource conflicts sufficiently, for the formulation of effective strategies to prevent or resolve resource use dilemmas.