Improving groundwater management by applying mediation techniques

In March 2009 the 5th World Water Forum called for ‘out of the box’ approaches and appropriate solutions for transboundary water management. This call reflects an internationally growing sense of urgency to accelerate the cooperation in water management as part of the wider implementation strategies of development towards sustainable management of natural resources in a period of climatic, economic and political changes. Since 2008 the world became more aware of the need of global crisis management. Reservoir management is crucial for surpassing crises. Therefore transboundary groundwater management is at the heart of global crises management measures. Improved international water reservoir management between states will foster stability and increase possibilities in the field of cooperation on energy management and food security. 

Research on water management has recently indicated that disputes and cooperation tend to co-exist within a progressive development towards improved basin management. The role of groundwater needs further emphasis according to recent research. One might say that both the physical groundwater reservoirs and the solution domains exist within river basins and are at least overlapping. Here we enter the field of expertise of professional mediators. Unfortunately, as Wolf already concluded in 1999, it seems hardly predictable when the interventions of mediators are successful. Ten years later mediation is even more appreciated rather as an unpredictable art than a methodology that can be improved by scientific research.

This research project aims at increasing scientific knowledge on groundwater management and mediation in the water sector by (i) developing a theoretical framework and tools for transboundary groundwater management as part of global crisis management, (ii) describing the success and failure factors for mediation in groundwater management, and (iii) investigating the relation between contents and process of negotiation and mediation in groundwater reservoir management as compared to surface water management. The research focuses on basins with important groundwater resources. The methodology consists of integrative and transdisciplinary methods supported by simple quantitative approaches. The project is proposed to be finalized after its presentation at the 6th World Water Forum. The expected outputs are a practical toolbox, a contribution to the improvement of topic specific and integrating international networks, four international publications, at least four MSc-reports and a PhD-dissertation.