Integrated Water Resource Management: Cases from Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America and USA

This book presents case studies that share important experiences regarding Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in various countries. Following an introduction to theoretical concepts, responsibilities, and challenges, the subsequent chapters address, among other topics, an analysis of policies and regulations for water management in Brazil, the drivers that led California to adapt to the IWRM framework, and the international regulations for water markets and water banking in Australia and Chile. The implications of climate change for water resource systems in Mexico are discussed, as well as management strategies from California that could potentially serve as IWRM adaptation schemes in Mexico. Critical cases from Guanacaste (Costa Rica), and from Zayandehrud River Basin and Lake Urmia (Iran) are reviewed in terms of management practices and solutions. The book also provides an overview of the current availability and use of water resources in South Korea, and discusses the management of and international water law instruments for transboundary groundwater in Africa.

EDSON DE OLIVEIRA VIEIRA is an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). An expert on agricultural engineering with an emphasis on the planning and management of water resources in semiarid regions, hydraulic and hydrology of semiarid regions, and irrigation and drainage, his current research focus is on the Sustainability Index of Water Resources.

SAMUEL SANDOVAL-SOLIS is an Assistant Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist for Water Resources at the University of California, Davis (USA). His current research focus is on water management in California's complex water landscape, and on policies aimed at balancing the water supply for human and environmental requirements.

VALMIR DE ALBUQUERQUE PEDROSA is an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Alagoas (Brazil). A visiting scholar at the Center of Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis (USA) from 2014 to 2015, his current research interests include integrated water resources and management, system analysis, and cost analysis for water infrastructures.

JOSE PABLO ORTIZ PARTIDA is a PhD student in Hydrologic Sciences at the University of California, Davis (USA). His research focuses on Integrated Water Resource Management, especially modeling water quantity and quality, and on solutions for the preservation and distribution of resources to provide clean water access to people in need.