The report describes the challenges and opportunities associated with the development, management and governance of groundwater across the world. It aims to establish a clear understanding of the role that groundwater plays in daily life, of its interactions with people, and of the opportunities for optimizing its use in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of this largely available yet fragile resource.
Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Legal and other institutional aspects of groundwater governan -- Chapter 3. Groundwater and agriculture -- Chapter 4. Groundwater for human settlements -- Chapter 5. Groundwater and industry -- Chapter 6. Groundwater and ecosystems -- Chapter 7. Groundwater, aquifers and climate change -- Chapter 8. Regional perspectives on groundwater -- Chapter 9. Building and updating the knowledge base -- Chapter 10. Groundwater policy and planning -- Chapter 11. Groundwater management -- Chapter 12. Transboundary aquifers -- Chapter 13. Financing for sustainability -- Chapter 14. Conclusions.

xiii, 225 p. : ill., graphs, maps, tables

Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-224).

9789231005077