Sustainable groundwater management in water-scarce countries is a pragmatic example of the necessity to guide future decision-making processes by simultaneously considering local needs, environmental problems and economic development. For these reasons the new socio-hydrogeological approach, Bir Al-Nas, proposed by Re (2015), has been tested in the Grombalia region (Cap Bon Peninsula, Tunisia), to evaluate the effectiveness of `complementing hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological investigations by considering the social dimension of the issue at stake. Within this approach the social appraisal, performed through Social Network Analysis and public engagement of water endusers, allowed hydrogeologists to get acquainted with the institutional dimension of local groundwater management, identifying issues, potential gaps, such as weak knowledge transfer among concerned stakeholders, and the key actors likely to support the implementation of new science-based management practices resulting from the ongoing hydrogeological investigation. Results hence go beyond the specific relevance for the Grombaila basin, showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach and the importance to include social 2 assessment in any given hydrogeological research aimed at supporting local development through groundwater protection measures.
Sustainable water resources management roots in monitoring data reliability and a full engagement of all institutions involved in the water sector. When competences and interests are overlapping, however, coordination may be difficult, thus hampering cooperative actions. This is the case of Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos, Ecuador). A comprehensive assessment on water quality data (physico-chemical parameters, major elements, trace elements and coliforms) collected since 1985 revealed the need of optimizing monitoring efforts to fill knowledge gaps and to better target decision-making processes. A Water Committee (Comité de la gestión del Agua) was established to foster the coordinated action among stakeholders and to pave the way for joint monitoring in the island that can optimize the efforts for water quality assessment and protection. Shared procedures for data collection, sample analysis, evaluation and data assessment by an open-access geodatabase were proposed and implemented for the first time as a prototype in order to improve accountability and outreach towards civil society and water users. The overall results reveal the high potential of a well-structured and effective joint monitoring approach within a complex, multi-stakeholder framework.
<p>The Gal&#225;pagos Archipelago (Ecuador) is traditionally considered a living museum and showcase of evolution. The rich biodiversity and distinctive environment attract thousands of visitors every year. However, this tourist flow exerts continuous pressures on the natural environment, and on water resources in particular, to the detriment of the local population who is faced with the challenges of accessing safe and sustainable drinking resources.</p><p>For this reason, over the years numerous projects, especially in the context of international cooperation activities, have tried to assess the impact of anthropogenic activities on the water quality and quantity in the islands. Unfortunately, the lack of coordination among all these projects did not allow to carry out continuous monitoring and, above all, to obtain homogenous and consistent time series of the measured hydrogeochemical parameters.</p><p>For this reason, in the framework of a joint technical cooperation project (&#8220;Health protection and prevention of anthropic pollution risks&#8221; in the Island of Santa Cruz&#8221; financed by Veneto Region, Italy; CS2012A19) a comprehensive assessment on water quality data (physico-chemical parameters, major elements, trace elements and coliforms) collected since 1985 in the Santa Cruz Island was performed. Results revealed the need of optimizing monitoring efforts to fill knowledge gaps and to better target decision making processes. All data were therefore standardized, homogenized and collected in an open database, accessible to all water stakeholders involved in water control, management and protection in the island.<span>&#160;</span></p><p>The information gathering activity also revealed the lack of coordination between the stakeholders themselves and the presence overlapping interests towards water resources, which represent an obstacle for coordinated actions targeted to sustainable water resources management in such a fragile environment.<span>&#160;</span></p><p>Therefore, under the guidance of the Santa Cruz Municipality, a Water Committee was established to foster the coordinated action among the water stakeholders in the island. The latter range from national to local authorities (e.g. National Water Secretariat, Ministry of Agriculture, Ecuador Naval Oceanographic Institute, National Park Galapagos, Municipality), research institutes (Charles Darwin Foundation), bottled water companies and Santa Cruz Households. Within the committee, shared procedures for data collection, sample analysis, evaluation and data assessment by an open access geodatabase were agreed collectively and tested in the field. Joint monitoring in the island can optimize the efforts for water quality assessment and protection, and improve accountability and outreach towards civil society and water users. Such a coordinated action can also ensure that international cooperation activities carried out in the island will respond to the real needs of the local population, and results will contribute to the long-term protection of the scarce water resources in the island.</p><p>Overall, results of the project revealed the high potential of adopting transdisciplinary approaches in complex, multi-stakeholder, framework typical of small island states.</p>
El artículo a través el análisis del proceso de construcción del Plan Maestro Turístico Territorial del Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado de Santa Cruz- Galápagos, quiere poner en evidencia un nuevo marco para concebir un destino turístico como un pluri espacio con elementos proprios endógeno y exógeno, y un sistema de influencia y construcción de su imaginario, desde un plano líquido. En el mismo tiempo se aborda las problemáticas de relaciones e injerencia de los actores que lo componen los cuales sobrepasan la autonomía de la población local, que determinan la característica intrínseca del destino. Lo que pone en evidencia cómo los procesos de planificación controlados por parte de portadores de intereses externos al espacio turistico, no permiten su visión y desarrollo en conjunto con los actores locales.
Este artículo parte de la necesidad de entender la funcionalidad política del turismo en el caso de los territorios alejados del centro de poder estatal. Explora de manera preliminar el turismo como un dispositivo empleado por los Estados colombiano y ecuatoriano para ejercer la soberanía nacional en los archipiélagos de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina, y las Islas Galápagos. Las preguntas que buscamos resolver indagan sobre las condiciones del surgimiento del turismo en estas zonas: cómo llegó a convertirse en la principal actividad económica de sus habitantes, el papel que desempeñaron los Estados en su surgimiento y desarrollo, y las estrategias históricamente empleadas para ejercer la soberanía en estas secciones de los territorios nacionales. Al final, esperamos plasmar algunas ideas iniciales que permitan establecer la relación entre el turismo y las estrategias de soberanía para los casos analizados.
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