Global trends and water policy in Spain

Stakeholders' responses to hydrological risks (floods and droughts) are embedded in and interlinked to general changes in patterns of thought and action, perception and behavior affecting society. These 'macro trends' coincide and interact with the ongoing changes that operate at the local level, depending on the specific features and conditions. Three basic and central 'macro trends' can be identified: changing myths of nature, marketization, and re-scaling of decisions, associated with the inclusion or exclusion of new actors can also be assessed. In this paper, a number of hypotheses concerning the characterization and origin of these 'macro trends' are presented, taking into account the cultural, political, social-psychological, and economical domains. Throughout the research project, Societal and Institutional Responses to Climate Change and Climatic Hazards: Managing Flood and Drought Risks (SIRCH), these hypotheses were applied to three case study areas; the Lower Guadalquivir basin (Spain), the Thames (England), and the Mouse-Rhine (The Netherlands) in an attempt to assess and understand similarities and differences through a comparative analysis. In all case studies, an increasing social awareness is observed in recent history. This has increased the pressure on the stakeholders responsible to adapt and has generally lead to varying degrees of public participation and the involvement of a wider spectrum of actors in the water management process. In this article, the conceptual framework of the research and the specific findings of the Spanish case-study are presented.