Conciliation of competing uses and stakeholder rights to groundwater: an evaluation of Fuencaliente Aquifer (Spain)

ABSTRACT

This article evaluates economic use values of groundwater and examines the trade-offs between agricultural and recreational uses of the Fuencaliente Aquifer in southern Spain. This case study is an example of the relevance of the non-market values of groundwater resources in achieving more sustainable management of groundwater resources, an issue on which there is still scarce evidence in the literature. The revealed preference of stakeholders associated with the current resource allocation (as defined by the agreed aquifer management plan) can be explained by the consideration of option values and economic non-use values (cultural and historical).

KEYWORDS:

• Groundwater
• economic values
• trade-off
• water use
• aquifer management
• Spain

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge comments received from Victor Cifuentes, head of the Technical Office of the Guadalquivir RBA.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2018.1491392

Additional information

Funding

This work received financial support from the Spanish Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Ministry of Economy and Business [Grant AGL2014-53417-R]. This article does not represent any official position or endorsement of the funding organization.