Water and sustainibility: keys from the arid systems

Abstract

The new culture of water has made apparent that water and its uses is a more complex issue than the mere concept of hydric resources, besides it being an essential dimension of sustainability. In arid ecosystems, the excessive pressure on water and its impact on natural systems, threatens the overall sustainability of such areas. It is necessary to re-elaborate the concepts of water resources and water demand, from the traditional differentiation among urban, agricultural, tourist and industrial uses, to a new aproach based on three levels of priority, depending on the functions water serves: 1) water-life; 2) water-general (social) interest; 3) water-business