Advances in Groundwater Governance

Karen G. Villholth has more than 25 years of experience in groundwater resources assessment and management. She deals with research, policy advice, and capacity development related to groundwater irrigation for smallholders, transboundary aquifers, groundwater resources assessment and modelling, climate change and groundwater, adaptation through underground solutions, role of depleting aquifers in global food production, groundwater and eco-system services, and groundwater management and governance for institutions at various levels, from local to global. She engages with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders in co-developing tools, approaches, and policies to a more sustainable use of groundwater for livelihoods, food security, and environmental integrity. Karen is a Principal Researcher and a Research Group Leader at IWMI, International Water Management Institute at the Southern Africa regional office. She is leading the global IWMI-led partnership initiative on Groundwater Solutions for Policy and Practice (GRIPP). Karen holds a PhD in Groundwater Assessment and a MSc in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and a MSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington. She previously worked for DHI-Water and Environment and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. She is co-author of three books related to groundwater and more than 50 peer-reviewed journal papers. Elena López Gunn is the Founder and Director of ICATALIST and a Cheney Fellow at University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. Elena finished her PhD at King's College, London. She also holds a Masters from the University of Cambridge. She was an Associate Professor at IE Business school and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics as Alcoa Research Fellow. Professionally, Elena has collaborated with a number of organizations including UNESCO, FAO

• Setting the stage. Key elements of groundwater governance. Integration and policy linkages beyond the local groundwater system. Cases.

"[...] the book’s team has done a commendable job in wrapping up existing knowledge, broadening the discussion further and delineating gaps. The book will undoubtedly contribute to raising the much-needed awareness for groundwater governance and boosting its implementation.Recommended to those interested in the fascinating and complex topic of groundwater governance, particularly researchers, several chapters provide a wealth of synthesized information that can also serve as a useful source for academia. From the practical standpoint, professionals and practitioners aiming to address groundwater governance issues where political will for doing so exists should be able to find pragmatic solutions informed by the specific contexts of the concerned groundwater systems. The solutions - often reached through dialogue with stakeholders and their engagement - should target the materialization of improved governance as a dynamic process. Examples of such successful solutions are given; additionally, the book provides case studies that illustrate numerous options for improving groundwater governance in a given context, as examples of how the launch of the dynamic process can be facilitated."Dr. Mohamed Bazza, formerly Senior Water Resources Officer at FAO."Through 28 chapters, in the first book on this topic, Villholth et al. (2017) successfully capture the moment and momentum of groundwater governance research from concepts to application to synergies to international case studies. […….] Being interested in both policy and science, we found the book an enjoyable read, with some new-to-us terminology such as hydro-schizophrenia (something we are familiar with in Texas), ISD (invisible, slow, distributed), water endowment, groan zone, and hydro-hegemony. […….] But quibbles aside, this book is a great – and thorough – introduction to groundwater governance […..]"Robert E. Mace and Todd H. Votteler, in: Groundwater, Vol 57, No. 2, March-April 2019