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Issues in the Valuation of Groundwater Benefits

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Agricultural Use of Groundwater

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Abstract

Why do we need to put special effort into finding an aquifer’s value?1 Estimating the value of a aquifer is useful for both decisions concerning resource allocation among different users as well as long term decisions with respect to investments in restoration, conservation prevention and developing alternative water supplies. The value of an aquifer and the long-run analysis of groundwater use are strongly correlated to the problem of sustainability. It can be claimed that a society is not moving along a sustainable water resources management path if one of the following conditions hold:

  1. (a)

    the decline in the quantity and quality of available freshwater is not compensated for by more effective and efficient water services;

  2. (b)

    the costs of water services required to relax physical resources limits are subject to continuous increase over time;

  3. (c)

    there are political or social constraints which impede adoption of the institution reforms required to make freshwater resources allocation less socially inefficient.

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Authors
  1. Nir Becker
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  2. Stefania Tonin
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Padova, Italy

    Cesare Dosi

  2. Fondazione Eni E. Mattei, Italy

    Cesare Dosi

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Becker, N., Tonin, S. (2001). Issues in the Valuation of Groundwater Benefits. In: Dosi, C. (eds) Agricultural Use of Groundwater. Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) Series on Economics, Energy and Environment, vol 17. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9781-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9781-4_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5650-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9781-4

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