Rivera, Alfonso; Dumont, Aurélien; Aureli, Alice --- "The role of hydrogeology in fresh water management" [2018] ELECD 1252; in Tignino, Mara; Bréthaut, Christian (eds), "Research Handbook on Freshwater Law and International Relations" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018) 434

Book Title: Research Handbook on Freshwater Law and International Relations

Editor(s): Tignino, Mara; Bréthaut, Christian

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN: 9781785360640

Section: Chapter 18

Section Title: The role of hydrogeology in fresh water management

Author(s): Rivera, Alfonso; Dumont, Aurélien; Aureli, Alice

Number of pages: 23

Abstract/Description:

This paper highlights the role of hydrogeology to inform policy, law and decision-making processes in groundwater governance by evaluating the natural characteristics of aquifer systems, the groundwater resources availability and their sustainability. The hydrological characteristics are key to determine appropriate modalities for groundwater governance and for the establishment of legal and institutional regimes.The case is made of specific challenges at the transboundary level by illustrating real case studies with discussion of actions for groundwater governance. We discuss issues related to the interplay of sciences and governance of two transboundary aquifer systems, located in Africa and in Europe. Observations from the case studies point out that local context matters, thus tailor-made approaches and solutions are required. An important conclusion from this analysis is that technical collaboration, information exchange, and development of shared knowledge on hydrogeological contexts of transboundary aquifers, facilitate cooperation and can lead to management agreements.