AquaPedia:Policies/Criteria for Case Study Inclusion

To decide if a water conflict or problem should be included as a new AquaPedia case, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this case involve a contentious water management problem between parties including two or more sovereign or federated states or other established territories (i.e., two different states, provinces, counties or cities)?

Examples: Two nations who share a river basin may have issues about water storage and allocation. States or provinces within a nation may have different priorities for water resources they share. Regional governments, or indigenous communities, may disagree with the federal government about how shared water sources should be managed.

• Does this case focus on a problem or issue that hinges on reconciling competing water uses (i.e., across multiple purposes or sectors)?

Examples: Agricultural and industrial interests may have competing needs. Stakeholders such as smallholder farmers and large agribusinesses may be competing for groundwater withdrawals.

• Does this case involve significant scientific or technical uncertainty that cannot be quantified or otherwise satisfactorily addressed given the current state of knowledge?

Example: Stakeholders perceive significant uncertainty regarding future climate, future water availability, estimated water needs, or economic growth.

• Does this case involve decisions that cannot be readily resolved using current regulatory, funding, or technological mechanisms?

Example: Are regulatory changes, public fund allocations, or decisions about building new infrastructure the focus of the conflict?

• Do stakeholders in this conflict have differing views about the issues at the heart of the conflict?

Example: Some stakeholders feel that the allocation of water rights is central to the problem, while others are more concerned about allocation for a specific use. Still others may be more concerned about environmental impacts.

If you can’t answer “yes” to at least three of these questions, your topic of interest probably isn’t a case.