Member - Practicalhydrogeology

The think tank of the Centre for Sustainable Solutions in Practical Hydrogeology (CSSPH) dedicated to the sound governance of land, water and ecosystems was recently established with the aim to support critical and practical action in the cross-section between hydrogeology and eco-hydrology. It is increasingly acknowledged that sustainable solutions at the interface between land, water, ecosystems, and biodiversity require consideration of hydrogeology. Most ecosystems, whether terrestrial or aquatic, rely on water, and groundwater and aquifers are often of key importance providing key ecosystem services. Simultaneously, evidence now shows that the world’s terrestrial resources are being stressed – in some regions productive land is being degraded; in others, ecosystems are under pressure with biodiversity decreasing at an unprecedented rate. Surface and groundwater, which act as a blood stream for healthy landscapes, are poorly governed. Diminishing or altered water availability and quality is failing to provide the critical nourishment and the natural cleansing of so many of our ecosystems. Much of this is now being better understood through the unpacking of the linkages between ecosystems and practical hydrogeology, as well as to biodiversity and socio-economic impacts. Successive studies show that high rates of ecosystem destruction can pose risks to local economies, ways of life, health and wellbeing. The recent World Economic Forum’s 2021 Global Risks Report have ranked ‘Biodiversity loss’ and ‘Human environmental change’ among the five top global risks by likelihood, on par with the growing climate crisis and now also infectious diseases. The Global Assessment of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reported in 2019 that biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history. Hence, urgent action is needed at local to global scales. Solutions formulated through the practical application of hydrogeology and her sister, eco-hydrogeology, can help. All too often, the solutions are to be found in the interface between the subsurface processes and their expressions or linkages with aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The practitioners associated with CSSPH devise, develop and apply these solutions.