Socio-Hydrogeology: fostering trans-disciplinarity in groundwater science
Convener:
Viviana Re
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Co-conveners:
Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo,
Paul Hynds,
Theresa Frommen,
Linda Söller
Socio-hydrogeology has been proposed as an effective approach to addressing complex groundwater-related issues in a more holistic and integrated manner. By focusing on the reciprocity between humans and groundwater, it aims to explore and understand their dynamic interactions with a final goal of developing transdisciplinary solutions for transdisciplinary problems. Due to the more "personal" (i.e., individual household/community suppliy) and local nature of groundwater in many instances, socio-hydrogeology seeks to understand individuals and communities as a primary source, pathway and receptor for potable groundwater supplies, including the role of local knowledge, beliefs, risk perception, tradition/history, and consumption. In essence, the “socio” in socio-hydrogeology embodies sociology, including social, cognitive, behavioural and socio-epidemiological sciences.
For this session the conveners encourage contributions from diverse fields, including:
• Examples of socio-hydrogeological assessments (participatory monitoring, stakeholder engagement, public participation, citizen science, gender disaggregated data collection)
• Integration of “non-expert” and/or indigenous knowledge within quantitative and qualitative hydrogeological studies
• Challenges and opportunities arising from the transdisciplinary approaches
• Social and political approaches to water resources research
• Groundwater geoethics and HRB approach to IWRM
• National/transboundary conflicts
• Integration of behavioural, experiential or knowledge-based data with hydrogeological/health risk assessments
• Educational goals for future socio-hydrogeologists.