Abstract

This article explores the challenges of groundwater governance and how these challenges tend to generate socioenvironmental conflicts. The paper illustrates such challenges with two case studies from Costa Rica, one in Limon and one in Guanacaste. Moreover, it analyses the main demands made by communities suffering socioenvironmental conflicts and some responses from public institutions. Finally, it discusses what factors are needed in the communities so that they can achieve favourable responses from government institutions. Among the main factors that are discussed are: water crisis; communal leadership; small and homogeneous communities; and lawsuits.

Keywords: Governance; groundwater; socioenvironmental conflict; participation; sustainability