Water Resources Allocation and Agriculture: Transitioning from Open to Regulated Access
The book brings together a range of leading scholars and practitioners to compile an international account of water allocation policies supporting a transition to sustainable water use in regions where agriculture is the dominant water use. In Section 1, the collection canvasses five key cross-cutting issues shaping the challenge of sustainable water allocation policy, such as legal and economic perspectives, the role of politics, the setting of environmental flows, and the importance of indigenous rights. Section 2 presents 13 national, state and transboundary case studies of water allocation policy, covering cases from Europe, the Americas, Central Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific region. These case studies highlight novel and innovative elements of water allocation regimes, which respond to the cross-cutting issues addressed in Section 1, as well as local challenges and social and environmental imperatives. The book provides a comprehensive account of water allocation in a range of international settings and provides a reference point for practitioners and scholars worldwide wishing to draw on the latest advances on how to design and implement sustainable water allocation systems.
ISBN: 9781789062779 (print)
ISBN: 9781789062786 (eBook)
ISBN: 9781789062793 (ePUB)
Chapter 20: Transitioning away from open access: lessons learnt from a comparative analysis of water allocation regimes worldwide
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Published:August 2022
Josselin Rouillard, Christina Babbitt, Edward Challies, Jean-Daniel Rinaudo, 2022. "Transitioning away from open access: lessons learnt from a comparative analysis of water allocation regimes worldwide", Water Resources Allocation and Agriculture: Transitioning from Open to Regulated Access, Josselin Rouillard, Christina Babbitt, Edward Challies, Jean-Daniel Rinaudo
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Abstract
The transition from open to regulated access to water resources is a challenging task for water managers who have to address complex environmental, social and economic trade-offs. Water allocation is a powerful tool, yet its implementation is deeply conflictual. This chapter compares the process of transitioning to regulated access in 13 case studies worldwide. It shows the wide diversity of institutional settings and design choices, while exploring why differences occur and considering the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches deployed in various contexts. It concludes with key takeaways and reflections on the need for ongoing work assessing the environmental, social and economic performance of allocation regimes.