A product of the UNESCO-IHP project on Water and Cultural Diversity, this book represents an effort to examine the complex role water plays as a force in sustaining, maintaining, and threatening the viability of culturally diverse peoples.
It is argued that water is a fundamental human need, a human right, and a core sustaining element in biodiversity and cultural diversity. The core concepts utilized in this book draw upon a larger trend in sustainability science, a recognition of the synergism and analytical potential in utilizing a coupled biological and social system analysis, as the functioning viability of nature is both sustained and threatened by humans. The book offers an array of ideas, concepts, and tools to understand and manage the sociocultural implications of the growing water crisis, and to suggest alternative pathways to sustainability.