Sticks and carrots: managing groundwater overabstraction in La Mancha, Spain

Abstract

The publications in this series record the work and thinking of IWMI researchers, and knowledge that the Institute's scientific management feels is worthy of documenting. This series will ensure that scientific data and other information gathered or prepared as a part of the research work of the Institute are recorded and referenced. Working Papers could include project reports, case studies, conference or workshop proceedings, discussion papers or reports on progress of research, country-specific research reports, monographs, etc. Working Papers may be copublished, by IWMI and partner organizations.Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMIIWMI's mission is to provide evidence-based solutions to sustainably manage water and land resources for food security, people's livelihoods and the environment. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and the private sector to develop scalable agricultural water management solutions that have a tangible impact on poverty reduction, food security and ecosystem health. Groundwater over-abstraction is a phenomenon also threatening the sustainable economic and social development of the countries on the southern side of the Mediterranean, and the control and management of over-abstraction has become a clear challenge for policy-makers, managers and academics in the region. This broader research exercise presents different governance problems and challenges that exist around the world in relation to groundwater, and informs potential future management and policy pathways in the MENA region. Semi-arid and arid countries are more likely to (over)exploit their groundwater resources. Northern and southern Mediterranean countries have many common climatic and agricultural features, and they all face dramatic increases in the use of groundwater for irrigation. The paper analyzes, through a political and historical lens, the different groundwater regulatory tools, laws and regulations, community actions and institutional structures put in place in Spain in order to curb groundwater over-abstraction. This paper arises out of the necessity to examine, at various scales, existing cases of groundwater regulation and management, so that policy solutions and mitigation measures to the groundwater crisis may be found. IWMI Working Paper 177 Sticks andDespite different socioeconomic and political contexts, the example of Spain can provide a deeper understanding of the challenges countries in the MENA region face when it comes to reducing groundwater abstraction. This is due to the fact that the sequence of policies attempted and implemented in the country bears resemblance to similar attempts to re...

Comanagement of groundwater: A review

“…In Spain, the Western La Mancha Aquifer was declared to be overexploited in 1987 after an iconic spring feeding the Tablas de Daimiel Wetland dried up due to over-pumping. In 1991, the Guadiana River Basin Organization imposed volumetric restrictions for individual wells, prohibited the drilling of new wells, froze all new groundwater abstraction concessions, and enforced the creation of a community of groundwater users (Closas, Molle, & Hernández-Mora, 2017). Similarly, the comanagement of the Beauce Aquifer, France, began when the La Conie Wetland started to recede due to increased irrigation and a local environmental protection association lodged a complaint with the state (Petit, 2009).…”

“…In 2007, in the midst of the millennium drought, the Australian government funded a package of A$12.8 billion, named Water for the Future, that earmarked A$3.1 billion for the purchase of water entitlements from willing sellers (Grafton, 2017). In the Guadiana Basin, Spain, the state used EU funds to compensate farmers willing to stop or reduce groundwater abstraction to preserve natural ecosystems (Closas et al, 2017). In France, irrigators in critical areas used their OUGC status to negotiate benefits, such as subsidies for on-farm storage as an alternative source of water (Loubier, personal communication, May 2, 2016).…”

“…Similar incentive‐requirement schemes were associated with the 2014 bill. In contrast, the case of the Guadiana Basin, Spain, signals a failed stick/carrot scheme because the authorities did not have the necessary enforcement and monitoring capacity (Closas et al, ).…”

From State to user-based water allocations: An empirical analysis of institutions developed by agricultural user associations in France

“…In that context, a growing literature is exploring more closely how State and users can best share powers and responsibilities to improve the performance of SELs and allocation systems (Schlager and Lopez-Gunn, 2006). Cases include Spain (Lopez-Gunn and Cortina, 2006;Closas et al, 2017), Mexico (Wester et al, 2011), Australia (Skurray, 2015;Shalsi et al, 2019), the US (Hoffman and Zellmer, 2013;Kiparsky et al, 2017) and New Zealand (Boone and Fragaszy 2018). In their recent review of groundwater co-management, Molle and Closas (2020a) argue that the State should allow maximum autonomy to user groups while providing for a clear "shadow of hierarchy" or credible threat if users do not act collectively without State intervention.…”