How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption?

International water conventions—e.g., the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses—include positive but insufficient focus on groundwater and its interaction with surface water. As such, a growing body of literature has proposed modifications to exist...

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Autores principales: Ibrahim, I. A., Lautze, Jonathan F.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Springer 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130758
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author Ibrahim, I. A.
Lautze, Jonathan F.
author_browse Ibrahim, I. A.
Lautze, Jonathan F.
author_facet Ibrahim, I. A.
Lautze, Jonathan F.
author_sort Ibrahim, I. A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description International water conventions—e.g., the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses—include positive but insufficient focus on groundwater and its interaction with surface water. As such, a growing body of literature has proposed modifications to existing frameworks to enable consideration to surface and groundwater and their interactions. While this literature places considerable focus on coupling and amending existing legal frameworks, elaboration and evaluation of a new protocol on conjunctive water management comprises a key gap. To fill this gap, this paper seeks to answer the following question: does formulation and adoption of a new “conjunctive” protocol provide more value than existing proposals centered around modifications to existing law? This paper seeks to compare benefits associated with current proposals to strengthen the international legal framework for management of surface–groundwater interaction, vis-a-vis adoption of a new protocol on conjunctive management of transboundary freshwaters. To do so, the authors use doctrinal legal methods to analyze the existing main instruments globally assessing the degree to which they consider key interlinkages between surface water and groundwater. Then, the paper examines the concept of conjunctive water management and deduces tenets that should be pursued in shared waters to achieve this objective. To identify the preferred option to support conjunctive water management in international water law, the paper explores the degree to which existing proposals vs a new protocol enable an embrace of these tenets of conjunctive water management. The paper finds that while a new protocol may add greater value in advancing conjunctive water management, multiple options can and should be concurrently pursued. In particular, the authors argue that new protocols to the existing treaties must be adopted in combination with the amendment of the Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers. Benefits of doing so include more effective management of transboundary freshwater resources that are interconnected hydrologically, a less fragmented and more consistent international water regime, and ultimately more benefits accruing to the populations and environmental goods dependent on shared water resources.
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spelling CGSpace1307582025-10-26T12:52:33Z How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption? Ibrahim, I. A. Lautze, Jonathan F. water management conjunctive use international waters international law water law transboundary waters legal frameworks watercourses conventions surface water groundwater aquifers water resources policies international agreements treaties International water conventions—e.g., the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses—include positive but insufficient focus on groundwater and its interaction with surface water. As such, a growing body of literature has proposed modifications to existing frameworks to enable consideration to surface and groundwater and their interactions. While this literature places considerable focus on coupling and amending existing legal frameworks, elaboration and evaluation of a new protocol on conjunctive water management comprises a key gap. To fill this gap, this paper seeks to answer the following question: does formulation and adoption of a new “conjunctive” protocol provide more value than existing proposals centered around modifications to existing law? This paper seeks to compare benefits associated with current proposals to strengthen the international legal framework for management of surface–groundwater interaction, vis-a-vis adoption of a new protocol on conjunctive management of transboundary freshwaters. To do so, the authors use doctrinal legal methods to analyze the existing main instruments globally assessing the degree to which they consider key interlinkages between surface water and groundwater. Then, the paper examines the concept of conjunctive water management and deduces tenets that should be pursued in shared waters to achieve this objective. To identify the preferred option to support conjunctive water management in international water law, the paper explores the degree to which existing proposals vs a new protocol enable an embrace of these tenets of conjunctive water management. The paper finds that while a new protocol may add greater value in advancing conjunctive water management, multiple options can and should be concurrently pursued. In particular, the authors argue that new protocols to the existing treaties must be adopted in combination with the amendment of the Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers. Benefits of doing so include more effective management of transboundary freshwater resources that are interconnected hydrologically, a less fragmented and more consistent international water regime, and ultimately more benefits accruing to the populations and environmental goods dependent on shared water resources. 2023-09 2023-06-20T07:14:08Z 2023-06-20T07:14:08Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130758 en Open Access Springer Ibrahim, I. A.; Lautze, Jonathan. 2023. How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption?. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, 23(3):333-353. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-023-09602-0]
spellingShingle water management
conjunctive use
international waters
international law
water law
transboundary waters
legal frameworks
watercourses
conventions
surface water
groundwater
aquifers
water resources
policies
international agreements
treaties
Ibrahim, I. A.
Lautze, Jonathan F.
How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption?
title How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption?
title_full How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption?
title_fullStr How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption?
title_full_unstemmed How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption?
title_short How best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law: legal amendment, instrument coupling, or new protocol adoption?
title_sort how best to incorporate conjunctive water management into international water law legal amendment instrument coupling or new protocol adoption
topic water management
conjunctive use
international waters
international law
water law
transboundary waters
legal frameworks
watercourses
conventions
surface water
groundwater
aquifers
water resources
policies
international agreements
treaties
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/130758
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