An approach to Water Policies in Spain: management and planning of water resources

Abstract

This article deals with the original analysis of the relationship between geography, economy and the environment –and, more specifically, that linked to environmental degradation, and the problems related to water policies-; various principles are established on which the environmental assimilation, the carrying capacity and the recovery capacity of the environment are based, always from the point of view of water, and, only when the levels of degradation of the natural environment are exceded –water pollution, overexploitation of aquifers, degradation of fresh water,…-, economic relevance is given to pollution processes, always bearing in mind that it can never be zero (since the opportunity cost would be very high) and, therefore, it is necessary to proceed to reach an optimal level of pollution - where costs and the benefits are equal. Consequently, it is possible to know -in theory- the optimal level of environmental degradation of water resources that must be assessed when implementing water policies, in accordance with the function of maximizing social welfare, based on benefits and costs. All this in relation to the Economic Policy of water, its taxonomy, instruments and spatial implications, as well as the advantages of economic instruments and financial mechanisms in Water Policies, from the perspective of the management and planning of water resources.