Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 744-768 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | Water alternatives |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Abstract
River restoration is essential to guarantee access to ecosystem services provided by free-flowing rivers. One mechanism to restore rivers is the decommissioning of run-of-the-river dams, but restoration can create opposition as anthropised landscapes form part of the environmental history and imaginary. To facilitate decision-making, actors' perceptions on ecosystem services for and against dam removal should be considered. We analyse perceptions on ecosystem services at two levels of study in Catalonia (Spain): the Catalan context and two local cases of dam removal in the Ter River Basin. Local case studies illustrate that combining participatory mapping and interviews makes contrasting values conspicuous and contributes to conflict understanding. Additionally, we acknowledge a dichotomy of perceptions between locals and outsiders, and the relevance of cultural values, environmental aesthetics, and history for actors' positioning. We propose the engagement of local stakeholders at the basin level through participatory approaches for the sake of understanding water conflicts, as decision making will rarely achieve social sustainability without local support.
Keywords
- Cultural values, History, Mediterranean River basins, Participatory mapping, Water conflicts
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Environmental Science(all)
- Water Science and Technology
- Social Sciences(all)
- Political Science and International Relations
- Environmental Science(all)
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
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In: Water alternatives, Vol. 10, No. 3, 2017, p. 744-768.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - "They Have Kidnapped Our River": Dam Removal Conflicts in Catalonia and Their Relation to Ecosystem Services Perceptions
AU - Brummer, Mathias
AU - Rodríguez-Labajos, Beatriz
AU - Nguyen, Trung Thanh
AU - Jorda-Capdevila, Dídac
N1 - Funding information: We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Master Programme in Global Change Ecology and the Max Weber Program des Freistaats Bayern. Then, we would like to thank all actors who have participated in the interviews for their patience and willingness to cooperate in the present study. Last but not least, we would like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their valuable and insightful comments.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - River restoration is essential to guarantee access to ecosystem services provided by free-flowing rivers. One mechanism to restore rivers is the decommissioning of run-of-the-river dams, but restoration can create opposition as anthropised landscapes form part of the environmental history and imaginary. To facilitate decision-making, actors' perceptions on ecosystem services for and against dam removal should be considered. We analyse perceptions on ecosystem services at two levels of study in Catalonia (Spain): the Catalan context and two local cases of dam removal in the Ter River Basin. Local case studies illustrate that combining participatory mapping and interviews makes contrasting values conspicuous and contributes to conflict understanding. Additionally, we acknowledge a dichotomy of perceptions between locals and outsiders, and the relevance of cultural values, environmental aesthetics, and history for actors' positioning. We propose the engagement of local stakeholders at the basin level through participatory approaches for the sake of understanding water conflicts, as decision making will rarely achieve social sustainability without local support.
AB - River restoration is essential to guarantee access to ecosystem services provided by free-flowing rivers. One mechanism to restore rivers is the decommissioning of run-of-the-river dams, but restoration can create opposition as anthropised landscapes form part of the environmental history and imaginary. To facilitate decision-making, actors' perceptions on ecosystem services for and against dam removal should be considered. We analyse perceptions on ecosystem services at two levels of study in Catalonia (Spain): the Catalan context and two local cases of dam removal in the Ter River Basin. Local case studies illustrate that combining participatory mapping and interviews makes contrasting values conspicuous and contributes to conflict understanding. Additionally, we acknowledge a dichotomy of perceptions between locals and outsiders, and the relevance of cultural values, environmental aesthetics, and history for actors' positioning. We propose the engagement of local stakeholders at the basin level through participatory approaches for the sake of understanding water conflicts, as decision making will rarely achieve social sustainability without local support.
KW - Cultural values
KW - History
KW - Mediterranean River basins
KW - Participatory mapping
KW - Water conflicts
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85030549547&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85030549547
VL - 10
SP - 744
EP - 768
JO - Water alternatives
JF - Water alternatives
SN - 1965-0175
IS - 3
ER -