Do ecosystem insecurity and social vulnerability lead to failure of water security?

• DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2020.100606
• Publication Date: 2020-12-18T10:28:12Z
• Authors: Christopher A. Scott; Mariana I. Zilio; Thomas Harmon; Adriana Zuniga-Teran; Rolando Díaz-Cara...; Natalia Hoyos; Gerardo M.E. Perillo; Francisco Meza; Robert G. Varady; Alfredo Ribeiro Neto; Maria Isabel Velez; Facundo Martín; Jaime Escobar; M. Cintia Piccolo; Paula Mussetta; Suzana Montenegro; James A. Rusak; Nicolas Pineda
• Keywords: Water security; Vulnerability; Resilience

Achieving water security for humans and ecosystems is a pervasive challenge globally. Extensive areas of the Americas are at significant risk insecurity, resulting from global-change processes coupled with regional local impacts. Drought, flooding, quality challenges pose threats, while same time, rapid urban expansion, competing demands, river modifications, expanding global markets water-intensive agricultural products drive insecurity. This paper takes social-ecological systems perspective, aiming to identify examples pathways towards resilient social development. It draws on lessons two science-policy network projects, one focusing scarcity in arid semi-arid regions Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Mexico United States; second addressing lake basins as sentinels climate variability human effects quantity Canada, States, Colombia, Uruguay Chile. Together, these 'complementary contrasts' provide an analytical basis empirically examine stakeholder engagement, knowledge co-production interaction supporting decision-making achieve security. The identifies four tenets based water-security-focused science Americas: 1) Decision makers should focus protecting because (along food energy security) depend them; 2) Water-use allocation decisions ought be made considering future environmental societal vulnerabilities, especially projections; 3) Holistic approaches (at basin or other appropriate levels) best suited ensure system resilience reduce vulnerability; 4) essential support local/traditional livelihoods, underserved populations equitable ecosystem resilience.