Research, management and water values in today’s world

Abstract

This volume of the series Perspectives of Water tries various aspects about the research, planning of uses, management and socio-cultural values of aquatic systems in the contemporary period. The contributions induding analyse the relationship between water and human communities in the workl today from scientific, political, social and cultural perspectives. Water is a natural good indispensable for any human activity whose value must be investigated, known and disseminated (European Council, 1968) taking account its role as a resource for the well-being in the international human rights framework (World Health Organization, 2003; United Nations, 2010). The protection, improvement and rational management of aquatic systems are also goals of sustainable development into the future, defined by Agenda 2030 (United Nations, 2015) where education is seen as a process that favours the creation of innovative solutions for current problems of water. At the same time, the generations of actions for sustainability, especially directed toward the integrated management of water resources, are promoted by the declaration of the 2018-2028 Decade of Action by the Water (United Nations, 2016). In Europe, both protection and sustainable use and management of the waters (continental,transitional, coas tal and groundwater) are regulated by the Directive 2000/60/EC in order to prevent their pollution, protect and/or improve their status, mitigate the effects of floods and droughts, and hdp to ensure a long-term equitable provision. This impulse from the institutional sphere represents an opportunity to prioritize the importance of water as a resource of humanity and highlights the relevance of the ítem to encourage the exchange of ideas and collaboration between researchers, managers and social groups particularly interested in aquatic systems.