Education and capacity development for groundwater resources management

Education and capacity development are crucial for successful groundwater management. There are different actors and educational needs to be considered. The education of groundwater professionals should cover the basics of groundwater science as well as the many other technical and socio-economic issues at the interface between groundwater and other disciplines. To achieve these aims, there are complementary educational roles for universities, individual practitioners, NGOs, consultancies, scientific associations and international development agencies. In addition, there is a need for the education of policy makers and the general public, including well owners, who are key stakeholders in groundwater governance. There is also a need for properlyfunctioning institutions for the management of groundwater resources, yet the reality is that many of the institutions are under-resourced, both in expertise about groundwater and in financial resources. Capacity development is therefore crucial for improved groundwater management. Different communication strategies are required for different stakeholders, and there are opportunities for groundwater scientists to make more use of social media and visual art in their outreach activities. Capacity development can be enhanced by knowledge-sharing through the establishment of participatory fora, and through schemes involving the assignment of local counterpart staff to work alongside international experts.