Conservation Incentives and the Socio-Spatial Dynamics of Water Sustainability

Disputes over scarce water resources are common worldwide and there is a growing interest in voluntary incentives (e.g., payments offered to water users) as a strategy for reducing conflicts. Incentive-based programs hold promise, but uncertainties remain regarding how state and non-state environmental organizations may implement them. Efficient and effective implementation requires strategic allocation of financial incentives across space and time. Collaborating with colleagues from multiple institutions (University of Oklahoma, Florida International University, George Mason University, Oklahoma State University, and Texas A&M), this project investigates how interactions among social, hydrological, and biological spatial dynamics affect the sustainability of human-freshwater systems operating under incentive-based conservation. Integrated socio-ecological modeling will be used to investigate sustainability dilemmas typical of water-limited river basins worldwide, leading to a set of key insights for understanding and managing these systems. The focus of this project is on water systems in areas with extensive agricultural use, but the findings have the potential to transform understanding of the ways in which conservation incentives might enhance the sustainability of a wide range of integrated human-natural systems.