SPECIAL ISSUE
GROUNDWATER FOR THE ECOSYSTEM

Guest Editor: Stefano Burchi

EDITORIAL
Reverberations in domestic legislation of the ecosystem-support function of groundwater
STEFANO BURCHI  
Chair, Water and Wetlands Law Specialist Group, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), Chair Emeritus, International Association for Water Law (AIDA)

ARTICLES
Mécanismes de protection de la valeur écosystémique des eaux souterraines dans les pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et au Québec
SESSINOU ÉMILE HOUÉDANOU  
Chercheur associé, Chaire de recherche du Canada en droit de l’environnement, Université Laval

Groundwater is an essential resource, closely linked to surface waters, land and ecosystems, providing both supply, regulatory and support services indispensable for maintaining natural environments and quality of life. In several West African countries, water laws incorporate, to varying degrees, the protection of ecosystems associated with groundwater resources through measures designed to regulate usage and limit the negative impacts ofhuman activities. In contrast, the province of Quebec boasts a robust legal framework that explicitly recognises the ecological value of groundwater and integrates this dimension into an integrated water resource management system, including approaches for  preservation,  loss  compensation,  and  public  consultation. Overall, this article advocates the adoption of a comprehensive ecosystem management approach capable of reconciling socioeconomic  development  with  the  protection  of  these  vital resources, relying on updated legal frameworks that are adapted to contemporary challenges.

Restricting the extraction of groundwater to safeguard groundwater-dependent ecosystems and the groundwater ecosystem itself. A case study from Europe with a special focus on Germany
LAURA VON VITTORELLI 
Senior Researcher, Oeko-Institute e.V.

Protecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems within the framework of the Water Framework Directive is an urgent and complex issue.  While  the  Directive  provides  a  critical  foundation  for groundwater management in Europe, its implementation often falls short of safeguarding the ecosystems that depend on these vital water resources. Strengthening the protection of groundwater-dependent terrestrial ecosystems (GWDTEs) requires more precise definitions, stricter enforcement, and a more precautionary approach to groundwater abstraction. As the pressures on water resources continue to grow, it is essential to prioritise the protection of these ecosystems in both policy and practice. Only by ensuring the health of GWDTEs can the long-term sustainability of groundwater resources be secured and the many services they provide to society and the environment.

Environmental groundwater rights in the western United States and Australia
REBECCA L NELSON  
Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne
DEBRA PERRONE
University of California, Santa Barbara

This article focuses on one way in which groundwater allocation laws could, and in some cases do, recognise and protect ecological groundwater requirements: through legal rights or entitlements to groundwater for ecological purposes. It explores legal arrangements for environmental groundwater rights in the western United States and Australia and reveals new evidence about the synergistic use of environmental groundwater rights and rules for protecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems, which were previously hypothesised.

Granting a lawful water entitlement to groundwater-dependent ecosystems in India: as legal persons or with the state as trustee?
GAYATHRI D NAIK 
Assistant Professor, Co-Director, Commons Cell National Law School of India, Bengaluru

This article explores the concept of the state as a trustee of groundwater resources under the public trust doctrine and how it could help the movement away from the private rights-regulated groundwater regulations. It examines how the newly developing discourse on legal personhood to rivers and water bodies could be applied to groundwater regulation and whether it could bring a harmonious approach to balancing water for the ecosystem and human rights. 

South African regulation of the impact of hydraulic fracturing groundwater
ROBYN STEIN and THEO BUCHLER 
Attorneys and Directors of Buchler Stein Consultants (Water and Socio-economic Law)

South Africa is a mineral resources-rich country, with a focus on the extraction principally of coal, gold, diamonds and platinum group metals, amongst others. Historically, oil and gas have not been commercially exploited. This article examines the current status of South African legislation and policy governing the regulation of the impact of hydraulic fracturing on groundwater and the ecosystems services supported by groundwater.