Adaptive Groundwater Management

Water scarcity Source: Pixabay

Groundwater is in constant motion. The natural processes, such as groundwater recharge and flow, but also abstraction and pollution, which are controlled by economic, political and social processes, are ever changing. Therefore, a sustainable, "adaptive" groundwater management must constantly adapt to these changes. Groundwater use and management approaches should therefore be analyzed continuously, evaluated and adapted to changing situations. However, with a good and adapted management concept, groundwater protection is not yet put into practice. Central to the implementation of sustainable management concepts is a good groundwater governance. This includes stable institutional governance and targeted coordination of all actors and sectors involved (e.g. regulators, agriculture, water supply).

The policy advice groundwater works on the development and dissemination of management approaches that combine monitoring, political and administrative decision-making processes and technical aspects.