Successful Workshop in Albacete, Spain: Exchange on Groundwater and Hydrosocial Perspectives
On June 26, 2025, regulate team members Fanny Frick-Trzebitzky and David Kuhn travelled to Albacete, Spain to participate in a workshop at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. The aim of the event was to present the regulate findings on the Spanish case study and to identify opportunities for future collaboration.
The workshop, titled “Groundwater and Hydrosocial Perspectives”, was organized by the Institute of Regional Development (IDR) and regulate. In addition to David Sanz and Iordanka Dountcheva from IDR, participants included Miguel Ángel Rubio and Mari Paz from the Valle del Cabriel Biosphere Reserve, along with other scientists working on groundwater in the region.
The day began with an introduction by David Sanz, who presented key challenges and management approaches regarding the Mancha Oriental Aquifer – a central focus of the regulate Spanish case study. This was followed by David Kuhn’s presentation on hydro-social conflicts in the region, which sparked an engaging discussion on diverse perspectives related to groundwater use and governance.
Fanny Frick-Trzebitzky then shared insights from the project on telecoupling and adaptive governance. The telecoupling perspective was particularly well received, as it helped shed light on how global linkages influence regional water dynamics.
Another highlight of the workshop was the presentation of a serious game developed by IDR, which simulates the ecological and economic impacts of different irrigation practices. The game attracted strong interest as a potential tool for education and decision-making.
In the afternoon, participants began developing the concept for a joint interdisciplinary publication on groundwater and governance in the Mancha Oriental region. Plans were also made for a summer school to be held in October 2025, targeting students and professionals interested in hydrosocial research and practice.
The trip to Spain was a great success – both in terms of scientific exchange and strategic collaboration. With the Albacete workshop, the Spanish case study of the Rregulate project has been successfully concluded.