Water Alternatives
Volume 10, Issue 3, 2017, Pages 744-768

"They have kidnapped our river": Dam removal conflicts in catalonia and their relation to ecosystem services perceptions (Article)

Brummer M. , Rodríguez-Labajos B. , Nguyen T.T. , Jorda-Capdevila D.
  • a University of Bayreuth, GCE Koordination Lehrstuhl für Biogeografie Universitätsstr, Bayreuth, Germany
  • b Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Barcelona, Spain
  • c Institute for Environmental Economics and World Trade, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany
  • d Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

River restoration is essential to guarantee access to ecosystem services provided by free-flowing rivers. One mechanism to restore rivers is the decommissioning of run-of-the-river dams, but restoration can create opposition as anthropised landscapes form part of the environmental history and imaginary. To facilitate decision-making, actors' perceptions on ecosystem services for and against dam removal should be considered. We analyse perceptions on ecosystem services at two levels of study in Catalonia (Spain): the Catalan context and two local cases of dam removal in the Ter River Basin. Local case studies illustrate that combining participatory mapping and interviews makes contrasting values conspicuous and contributes to conflict understanding. Additionally, we acknowledge a dichotomy of perceptions between locals and outsiders, and the relevance of cultural values, environmental aesthetics, and history for actors' positioning. We propose the engagement of local stakeholders at the basin level through participatory approaches for the sake of understanding water conflicts, as decision making will rarely achieve social sustainability without local support.

Author Keywords

Mediterranean River basins Cultural values Participatory mapping History Water conflicts

Index Keywords

participatory approach perception Catalonia Mediterranean Region questionnaire survey stakeholder decommissioning dam removal river basin environmental history Ter Basin ecosystem service environmental restoration cultural conflict sustainability Spain mapping decision making esthetics
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85030549547&partnerID=40&md5=33bcddb59f136e5cffccf33abe5d0413
ISSN: 19650175
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English