The social-environmental justice of groundwater governance

Marian J. Neal Patrick*, Francesca Greco, Daniel Connell, Julian Conrad

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    25 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Groundwater is but one component of the hydrological cycle. It interacts with and is dependent on how the other components of the hydrological cycle are managed. The rationale for sharing or allocating groundwater is guided by the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization. There is no universal theory of justice to which we can appeal, to help us operationalise this principle to the satisfaction of all water uses and users. Often the losers in allocation decisions are marginal communities or disempowered individuals or groups, and the natural environment. This results in the emergence of a variety of social and environmental injustices, especially if the burden falls continuously on the same group or ecosystem. Social - Environmental justice is a useful lens in the arsenal of researchers, policy makers and natural resource managers that can be used to highlight the importance of a systems approach when dealing with common pool resources such as groundwater.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationIntegrated Groundwater Management
    Subtitle of host publicationConcepts, Approaches and Challenges
    PublisherSpringer International Publishing Switzerland
    Pages253-272
    Number of pages20
    ISBN (Electronic)9783319235769
    ISBN (Print)9783319235752
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2016

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