The Cultural Ecohydrogeology of Mediterranean-Climate Springs: A Global Review with Case Studies
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Author
Pascual, Roger
Piana, Lucia
Ullah Bhat, Sami
Fidel Castro, Pedro
Corbera, Jordi
Cummings, Dion
Delgado, Cristina
Eades, Eugene
Fensham, Roderick J.
Fernández-Martínez, Marcos
Ferreira, Verónica
Filippini, Maria
García, Guillermo
Gargini, Alessandro
Hopper, Stephen D.
Knapp, Lynette
Lewis, Ian D.
Peñuelas, Josep
Publication date
2024-05-27ISSN
2076-3298
Abstract
Cultures in Mediterranean climate zones (MCZs) around the world have long been reliant on groundwater and springs as freshwater sources. While their ecology and cultural sustainability are recognized as critically important, inter-relationships between springs and culture in MCZs have received less attention. Here we augmented a global literature review with case studies in MCZ cultural landscapes to examine the diversity and intensity of cultural and socio-economic relationships on spring ecohydrogeology. MCZs are often oriented on western and southern coasts in tectonically active landscapes which control aquifer structure, the prevalence of westerly winds, and aridity, and generally expose associated habitats and cultures to harsh afternoon sunlight. Cultural appreciation and appropriation of springs ranges widely, from their use as subsistence water supplies to their roles in profound traditions such as Greco-Roman nymphalea as well as Asian and Abrahamic spiritual cleansing and baptism. The abandonment of traditional ways of life, such as rural livestock production, for urban ones has shifted impacts on aquifers from local to regional groundwater exploitation. The commoditization of water resources for regional agricultural, industrial (e.g., mining, water bottling, geothermal resorts), and urban uses is placing ever-increasing unsustainable demands on aquifers and spring ecosystems. When the regional economic value of springs approaches or exceeds local cultural values, these irreplaceable aquatic ecosystems are often degraded, over-looked, and lost. Sustainable stewardship of springs and the aquifers that support them is a poorly recognized but central conservation challenge for modern Mediterranean societies as they face impending impacts of global climate change. Solutions to this crisis require education, societal dialogue, and improved policy and implementation.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
572 - Physical anthropology
Pages
85
Publisher
MDPI
Is part of
Environments
Citation
Pascual, Roger, Lucia Piana, Sami Ullah Bhat, Pedro Fidel Castro, Jordi Corbera, Dion Cummings, Cristina Delgado, et al. 2024. “The Cultural Ecohydrogeology of Mediterranean-Climate Springs: A Global Review with Case Studies”. Environments 11(6). doi:10.3390/environments11060110.
Grant agreement number
EC/ERC/101076740/EU/Elemental Ecology: towards an element-based functional ecology/STOIKOS
MICINN/ /RYC2021-031511-I/ES/ /
MICIU/Programa Estatal de generación del conocimiento y fortalecimiento científico y tecnológico del sistema I+D+I/CEX2018-000828-S/ES/ /
MICINN/Programa Estatal para impulsar la investigación científico-técnica y su transferencia/PID2021-128778OA-I00/ES/Caracterización de los vínculos entre el ciclo del agua y los ciclos N-P-K en un mundo cada vez más cálido/KALORET
Program
Sostenibilitat en Biosistemes
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2713]
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/