Application of a water–energy–food nexus framework for the Duero river basin in Spain

Abstract

This paper proposes a framework for the identification, assessment and analysis of the water–energy–food nexus at a basin scale. This methodology is applied to the Duero river basin in Spain to detect the most important conflicts derived from water, food and energy interdependencies. Some of the most important issues are the limitations posed by rising energy prices for irrigated agriculture due to modernization, limitations to water treatment, and the possible emergence of new water demands for energy by hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas and enhanced bioenergy.

Keywords:

• water–energy–food nexus
• tradeoffs
• policy integration
• coordination
• hydraulic fracturing
• Duero basin

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Duero Water Board, Confederación Hidrográfica del Duero, for its support in the data-collection process. Particularly appreciated are the contributions from Rosa Huertas in the conflict identification process and Tomas Polo in the provision of geographical information system (GIS) data.

Notes

1. Resilience is the capacity of a system to absorb changes and tensions without collapsing and losing its functionality (Holling & Gunderson, 2002).

2. Castilla y León is the main region within the Spanish Duero basin, accounting for 98.25% of its surface area. Thus, the basin’s territory is under the auspices of regional legislation. See the third step for further explanation.