Water governance and adaptation to drought in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Abstract

In this chapter we review the key learnings and challenges for water management in a territory where water is severely affected by climatic variability: the Guanacaste province in Northwestern Costa Rica. In this territory the water governance system is contested by the interaction of biophysical, cultural, and political factors, creating conditions for the emergence of disputes and enhancing the environmental and economic externalities from economic activities, mainly agriculture and tourism. We review the main factors from these intertwined dynamics to provide key lessons and identify sensible gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed in the upcoming research and integrated water resource management efforts. Our work shows that climate variability is increasing water demand, calling for a contextualized policy for managing water in Guanacaste. Moreover, the centralized, vertical, and fragmented water governance system led by the Central Valley region is imposing challenges for building up an adaptive governance system aiming for resilience at a long temporal scale. Despite the latter, several community-led experiences facilitated by boundary organizations and local champions suggest that water in Guanacaste can be secured by establishing multi-sectoral platforms for water adaptive governance and increasing the decision-making based on technical and scientific information.