Francesco Sindico of SCELG at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow sent me this link to the open-access Journal of Hydrology Regional Studies paper:
F. Sindico, R. Hirata and A. Manganelli, The Guarani Aquifer System: From a Beacon of Hope to a Question Mark in the Governance of Transboundary Aquifers, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (2018)
Ominous title....
His email:
I am pleased to share with you a recent open access publication on the Guarani Aquifer Agreement, which I co-authored with Ricardo Hirata (University of Sao Paulo) and Alberto Manganelli (CEREGAS – Regional Centre for the Management of Groundwater in Latin America and the Caribbean). The article is very timely due to the up and coming entry into force of the Guarani Aquifer Agreement now that all four countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) have ratified the treaty.
F. Sindico, R. Hirata and A. Manganelli, “The Guarani Aquifer System: From a Beacon of hope to a question mark in the governance of transboundary aquifers”, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (2018)
More information can be found here.
Highlights
- • Lessons learned from the Guarani Aquifer System (GAS) transboundary cooperation.
- •The scientific understanding of the GAS as a whole has been stalled.
- •The entry into force of the GAS agreement (GAA) signed in 2010 could promote an exchange of practices in the management of the aquifer.
- • Potentially the GAA could put the GAS again on the agenda and encourage new cooperation.
Abstract
Study regionLatin America. Parana Basin. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay.
Study focus
This article traces the trajectory of transboundary cooperation over the past fifteen years for the Guarani Aquifer System.
A new insight for the region
The Guarani Aquifer System is a transboundary aquifer shared by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It stands as one of the largest reservoirs of freshwater worldwide and is one of the few transboundary aquifers whose management is regulated by an international treaty, the Guarani Aquifer Agreement (GAA). The latter is also the first to refer in its preamble to the UN International Law Commission Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers. A first period (2002–2010) of positive collaboration in which the four countries actively moved forward towards a better understanding of the aquifer, culminated with the adoption of the GAA in August 2010. A second period (2010–2017) has been marked by a slowdown in transboundary cooperation, limited in this period to sporadic cross-border projects and initiatives linked to past and existing international projects. In this period, Argentina and Uruguay, and more recently Brazil have ratified the GAA. A third phase seems to be emerging in 2017 due to the possibility that finally Paraguay ratifies the GAA allowing it to enter into force. This article argues that in the future implementation of the agreement countries should build on the good practices, both substantive and institutional, stemming from the first period of transboundary cooperation.
Important paper, important region.
Enjoy!
"When shifting paradigms it is important to put in the clutch."- Unknown (via Patty Limerick)
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