Titre :
|
Water a reflection of land use : options for counteracting land and water mismanagement
|
Auteurs :
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M. Falkenmark ;
L. Andersson ;
R. Castensson ;
K. Sundblad
|
Type de document :
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ouvrage
|
Editeur :
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Uppsala, SWE : Swedish science Press, 1999
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Format :
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128 p.
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Langues:
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= Anglais
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Catégories :
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HYDROLOGIE
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Mots-clés:
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EAU
;
CYCLE DE L'EAU
;
BESOIN EN EAU
;
PRECIPITATION
;
EAU SOUTERRAINE
;
CRUE
;
LEGISLATION
;
IRRIGATION
;
AGRICULTURE
;
MER
;
GESTION DE L'EAU
|
Résumé :
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A land use decision is also a water decision. Land and water are closely linked through the water cycle. In extreme cases, downstream effects of irrigation farming may be as serious as in case of the Aral Sea disaster. An increasing number of rivers are reported more or less depleted from upstream land use activities. At the same time, farmers are accused also of polluting the underlying groundwater beyond potability limits and of causing eutrophication of surface waters and enclosed seas. Industrialised landscapes are littered by landfills leaking pollutants to underlying aquifers. Their remediation has often relied on Superfunds due to the high costs involved. In demystifying the water cycle, this book reviews issues in land-water management, clarifying the need for an intergrated approach in line with Agenda 21. The links between water cycle, human activities and their effects on freswater is explained and illustrated by a rich set of examples from different parts of the world. The book relates land use to sustainability issues and highlights current policy mismatches. It includes also a discussion of the time scale of recovery and provides an agenda for a better-informed political action. The book contributes actively in filling the conceptual void between climate and ecosystems. It may severe as an introductory text to dtudents and it may also be valuabledoth for teachers looking for a good overview of key causes and processes that lead up to ecological degradation and for a knowledgeable general audience interested in ongoing environmental degradation all around the world.
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