The links between land use and groundwater – Governance provisions and management strategies to secure a ‘sustainable harvest’

Groundwater is an increasingly important resource for urban and rural potable water supply, irrigated agriculture, and industry, in addition to its natural environmental role of sustaining river flows and aquatic ecosystems. But major changes in land use that impact groundwater are taking place, as a consequence of population growth, increasing and changing food demands, and expanding biofuel cultivation. The link between land use and groundwater has long been recognised, but has not been widely translated into integrated policies and practices. This paper argues that a common understanding of groundwater–land and land–groundwater interaction is needed to facilitate cross-sector dialogue on governance needs and management approaches, targeted at sustaining water resources and enhancing land productivity.

Keywordsland use and groundwater, food demand, land productivity, water resources, land ownership