Groundwater and Ecosystems Damages: Questioning the Gisser- Sánchez Effect
نویسندگان
چکیده
Gisser and Sánchez (1980a) state the conditions under which welfare gains from policy intervention are negligible in aquifer management, when compared with non-regulation or “free market” outcomes. This is the so-called Gisser-Sánchez effect (GSE), which has been supported by the ensuing literature during recent decades. The GSE requires a number of assumptions, among which is the disregard for aquatic ecosystems linked and dependent on aquifer systems. The depletion of aquifer systems in arid and semiarid regions worldwide is causing acute water scarcity and quality degradation, and leading to extensive ecosystem damages. This study shows that by including environmental damages into the analytical model, results can change substantially. The analysis highlights both theoretically and empirically the importance of policies in groundwater management, as well as the potential role for stakeholders’ cooperation. The empirical application deals with two large aquifers in Spain, the Western La Mancha aquifer which is grossly mismanaged, and the Eastern La Mancha aquifer, which is moving towards sustainable management. Western and Eastern La Mancha aquifers illustrate that policies and institutions are essential to avoid the current global aquifer mismanagement. JEL classification: D62, D78, Q25.
منابع مشابه
Potential for groundwater management: Gisser-Sanchez effect reconsidered
[1] This paper revisits Gisser-Sanchez’s effect, a paradoxical empirical result that persists in the groundwater literature since 1980, when it was first identified by Gisser and Sanchez. In essence, Gisser-Sanchez’s effect (GSE) states that the numerical magnitude of benefits of optimally managing groundwater is insignificant. This paper critically reviews both the theoretical and empirical at...
متن کاملEffect of watershed dam on groundwater level (Lavar earth dam)
The managed recharge of groundwater is a stable and newfound technique which has already produced successful results and is expected to solve many of the problems of water resources, particularly in arid and semiarid areas. Artificial recharge of aquifers is considered as a strategy for the improvement of groundwater resources and their storage capacity to compensate for the damages inflicted o...
متن کاملMapping Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems in California
BACKGROUND Most groundwater conservation and management efforts focus on protecting groundwater for drinking water and for other human uses with little understanding or focus on the ecosystems that depend on groundwater. However, groundwater plays an integral role in sustaining certain types of aquatic, terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, and their associated landscapes. Our aim was to illumina...
متن کاملEffects of Consumptive Water Use on Biodiversity in Wetlands of International Importance
Wetlands are complex ecosystems that harbor a large diversity of species. Wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems on our planet, due to human influences such as conversion and drainage. We assessed impacts from water consumption on the species richness of waterbirds, nonresidential birds, water-dependent mammals, reptiles and amphibians in wetlands, considering a larger number of taxa...
متن کامل