Knowledge, motivation, and agency for groundwater governance

Groundwater is a vital common pool resource for water supply, irrigation, and ecosystems-but is difficult to govern due to its invisibility, stakeholders' conflicting interests, and the limitations of available institutions. These issues have created an array of problems around the world that threaten ecosystems, food production, and drinking water supplies-including aquifer depletion, waterlogging, salinity, and groundwater contamination. Despite the existence of many policy and technical instruments (tools) available for groundwater governance, efforts to apply them are often ineffective.