Africa de la Hera

Use of Bayesian belief networks for dealing with ambiguity in integrated groundwater management.

In integrated groundwater management, different knowledge frames and uncertainties need to be communicated and handled explicitly. This is necessary in order to select efficient adaptive groundwater management strategies. In this connection, Bayesian belief networks allow for integration of knowledge, for engaging stakeholders and for dealing with multiple knowledge frame uncertainties. This is illustrated for the case of the Upper Guadiana Basin, Spain, where Bayesian belief networks with stakeholder involvement were used for dealing with the ambiguities related to sustainable groundwater exploitation.

Legal Aspects Of Groundwater Ownership In Spain

Abstract Spains 1985 Water Law gave special significance to the Registry and the Catalogue, two legal figures that allowed the co‐existence of public and private groundwater ownership. Twenty years later, the situation of the Catalogue and the Registry is quite deficient. As a consequence, adequate groundwater management in Spain seems extremely difficult. This paper comments on the three main actions taken by the Government since 1985: first, the “Groundwater Registry and Catalogue Update Program” (ARYCA), a 42M€ project of the Ministry of Public Works, the results of which have not lived up to expectations; second, the Transient Disposition of the National Water Plan Law (2001) with regard to the “closure of the inscription period for private wells.” The results of this action are still uncertain; and thirdly, the “Update Program for the Registry and Catalogue Books” (ALBERCA), a 155M€ initiative of the Ministry of the Environment which is yet to be implemented.

Hydropolitics and Hydroeconomics of Shared Groundwater Resources: Experience in Arid and Semi-arid Regions

Interest on shared or transboundary aquifers management is relatively recent, but has already been useful in order to increase the awareness about the role of groundwater among politicians and high-level water decisionmakers. However, the process to achieve some kind of international convention or agreement on this issue will probably take a long time. Implementing international agreements on shared aquifers in arid and semiarid regions will be difficult if the current chaos in groundwater management is not previously 1 Paper presented in the Conference of the NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE “OVEREXPLOITATION AND CONTAMINATION OF SHARED GROUNDWATER RESOURCES” Varna, Bulgaria October 1-12 2006 . To be published by Springer Verlag in 2007 in the NATO Security through Sciences Series-C Environmental Security ∗ To whom correspondence should be addressed. MANUEL RAMON LLAMAS MADURGA Royal Academy of Sciences. Valverde 22. 28034 Madrid. Email: mrllamas@geo.ucm.es GROUNDWATER HYDROPOLITICS AND HYDROECONOMICS 2 corrected. In this regard, this paper analyses the causes of this situation, and the concerns these raise in regard to sustainability. Later the paper considers the political and economics factors that affect groundwater development, as well as the social and legal aspects involved. Finally the paper reproduces the call for actions included in the Alicante Declaration, approved in January 2006 on occasion of the International Symposium on Groundwater Sustainability.

Ecosystem services of inland wetlands from the perspective of the EU Water Framework Directive implementation in Spain

Abstract Inland wetlands are numerous in Spain and have been classified in a broad range of categories. At present, the most relevant classification is that applied by River Basin Authorities for the identification of water bodies, according to the EU Water Framework Directive. This typology recognises up to 27 different types of inland lake in Spain. The aims of this paper are to review current knowledge about the evaluation of the ecosystem services provided by inland wetlands, and to present a discussion about two cases that have been subject to economic evaluation. The results obtained highlight the fact that little work has been done in Spain on this topic, thus opening up new lines of research. In particular, a significant amount of work is required to identify and characterize specific ecosystem services provided by wetlands in Mediterranean conditions, which in turn will do a great deal to highlight the importance of their conservation. Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Guest editor M.C. Acreman Citation de la Hera, A. Fornés, J.M. and Bernués, M., 2011. Ecosystem services of inland wetlands from the perspective of the EU Water Framework Directive implementation in Spain. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 56 (8), 1656–1666.

A Case Study of Geometric Modelling via 3-D Point Interpolation for the Bathymetry of the Rabasa Lakes (Alicante, Spain)

The interpolation of points by means of Information Technology programs appears as a technical tool of some relevancy in the hydrogeology in general and in the study of the humid zones in particular. Our approach has beenthe determination of the 3-D geometry of the humid zones of major depth of the Rabasa Lakes. To estimate the topography of the lake bed, we proceed to acquire information in the field by means of sonar and GPS equipment. A total of 335 points were measured both on the perimeter and in the lake bed. In a second stage, this information was used in a kriging program to obtain the bathymetry of the wetland. This methodology is demonstrated as one of the most reliable and cost-efficient for the 3-D analysis of this type of water masses. The bathymetric study of the zone allows us to characterize the mid- and long-term hydrological evolution of the lakes by means of depth-area-volume curves.