KN4 | A tale of two commons; the key role of enhanced information systems for groundwater governance in the interface of two commons
Session Details
| Speaker: | Elena López-Gunn |
| Moderator: | Marcus Giese |
| Date/Time: | 11.10.2024, 10:00 – 11:00 |
| Location: | Aula |
Description
This research explores the interface between data, information, and knowledge on groundwater systems. We will present the results of two projects that are a continuum to have further understanding on this key interface. First, we will aim to identify the main emergent foresight knowledge related to the application to groundwater management of what we have defined as enhanced information systems (EIS). The results presented are based on results from a Delphi study undertaken at a global scale with 60 experts. The ultimate objective is to contribute to participatory and sustainable groundwater management in Mediterranean regions.
The results indicate that EISs are a necessary – but not sufficient- part of improving groundwater management. This prospective study suggests that EISs must be framed by a strong command and control system. They must have clear rules, stimulate stakeholder empowerment, and facilitate inclusive governance based on a citizen science-inclusive governance interface. The experts believe the fierce competition and rivalry for water resources seriously challenge this path. However, the interface between citizens/users and EISs can help tip the balance to empower stakeholders with more trust enabled thanks to science (and the use of EISs) and more transparency in data management. In the second part, we will turn rather than to the future, to the past, and the path dependence from diffuse pollution in groundwater, and again how information becomes a key element for robust groundwater management. We will present the case of Palma de Gandia, a small municipality in Spain that no longer has access to potable water due to diffuse pollution. We will thus reflect on how information is a critical element in the context of the political economy of the aquifer, and a key inroad to change the current status quo towards water security.
About the Speaker
Dr. Elena López-Gunn founded the research company ICATALIST, which is primarily focused on sustainability and climate change adaptation research. She currently works as director of ICATALIST and as Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Elcano Institute. She is a member of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC). She is an EU Climate Pact ambassador, and part of the UNESCO Task Force on a Science Based Water Assessment.
Elena participated in Spain’s latest national climate change impact assessment leading the chapter on water and is currently involved in the expert panel for the new Risk assessment for the future Spanish national Adaptation plan. She serves as expert member in the Citizen Climate Assembly in Spain and contributed to the 6th IPCC Assessment Report. She has a PhD from King's College, concluded her PhD in Geography at the King’s College, London, and was research fellow at the University of Leeds, the Botin Foundation Water Observatory and at the London School of Economics. She also has a Masters from the University of Cambridge and a Master in Investigative Journalism data and Visualization from Juan Carlos I University. Besides, she also worked as Associate Professor at IE Business school in Madrid (Spain).
