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The paradox of water abundance in Mato Grosso, Brazil

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Schulz_2017_Sustainability_MatoGrosso_CC.pdf (439.9Kb)
Date
04/10/2017
Author
Schulz, Christopher
Ioris, Antonio A. R.
Keywords
Brazil
Environmental awareness
Environmental history
Mato Grosso
Political ecology
Regional identity
Water abundance
Water governance
G Geography (General)
Geography, Planning and Development
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
T-NDAS
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Abstract
While much effort has gone into studying the causes and consequences of water scarcity, the concept of water abundance has received considerably less attention in academic literature. Here, we aim to address this gap by providing a case study on the perceptions and political implications of water abundance in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Combining a political ecology perspective on contemporary water governance (empirically based on stakeholder interviews with members of the state's water sector) with an overview of the environmental history of this hydrosocial territory, we argue, first, that water abundance has become a foundational element of Mato Grosso's identity, situated in the wider context of natural resource abundance more generally and second, that water abundance today is a contested concept witnessing discursive struggles around its political implications and meaning. More specifically, there is a clash between the dominant conceptualisation of water abundance as a foundation for rich economic, ecological, social, and cultural values and benefits, often espoused by members of the political and economic elite, e.g., for marketing purposes, and a more critical but less widespread conceptualisation of water abundance as a source of carelessness, lack of awareness, and poor water governance, typically put forth by more informed technical staff of the public sector and civil society activists. By providing a distinct treatment and discussion of the concept of water abundance, our research has relevance for other water-rich regions beyond the immediate regional context.
Citation
Schulz , C & Ioris , A A R 2017 , ' The paradox of water abundance in Mato Grosso, Brazil ' , Sustainability , vol. 9 , no. 10 , 1796 . https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101796
Publication
Sustainability
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/su9101796
ISSN
2071-1050
Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Description
The research was funded by a Scottish Government Hydro Nation Scholarship.
Collections
  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/12481

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