Water Policy in Spain

M. Ramón LLAMAS is Emeritus Professor of Hydrogeology at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. He is a Fellow of Spain’s Royal Academy of Sciences, where he chairs the Section of Natural Sciences and the International Relations Committee. Professor Llamas is author of one hundred books or monographs and almost two hundred scientific papers. He was President of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (1984-1989), Vice-president of the International Water Resources Association (2001-2003) and Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2004). Alberto GARRIDO is an Associate Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the Technical University of Madrid, Spain. His work focuses on natural resource and water economics and policy. He has conducted consultancy work for OECD, IADB, the European Parliament, European Commission, FAO, and various Spanish Ministries and autonomous communities. He is author of 100 academic references.

• 1. Scope and objectives Part I. The natural resource base, the environment and the economy 2. Physical and Hydrological Characteristics 3. The State of Water Ecosystems 4. Major Processes Degrading Freshwater Resources and Ecosystems 5. Water Uses in Transition 6. Water Footprint and Virtual Water Trade in SpainPart II. Constraints and social perceptions 7. Drought and Climate Risks 8. Water Supply in Urban Areas 9. Changing Water Discourses in a Modern SocietyPart III. Water Law, Institutions and Policies 10. Water Sector Regulation and Liberalization 11. The Foundations and Principles of Modern Water Law 12. Institutions and Institutional Reform in the Spanish Water Sector: a Historical Perspective 13. Trends in Water Pricing and Markets 14. Issues Related to Intensive Groundwater Use 15. Making Groundwater Institutionally Visible 16. Facing the Challenges of Implementing the European Water Directive in Spain 17. Public Participation in Developing and Improving Water Governance 18. The Spanish and Portuguese Cooperation over their Transboundary Basins 19. The end of Large-Scale Water Projects Part IV. Conclusions 20. Meeting Future Water Challenges: Spain’s Strengths and WeaknessesAuthor index

"The collection offers the interested reader a panoramic overview of the difficult state of affairs concerning water in Spain and perhaps stirs interest in other works about what is one of the most fascinating and significant examples of how water, politics, ideology and modernization are inextricably intertwined in the formation of a particular hydrosocial system. In all certainty, we are dealing with an essential book that belongs on the reading list of every course on politics and management of water that takes itself seriously."- Erik Swyngedouw, Univ. ManchesterHistoria Agraria 56 (April 2012): p. 225