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In this issue we address the practice of rainwater harvesting in different settings, presenting experiences from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Paraguay. Some of the papers were originally presented at the IX International Meeting of the WATERLAT-GOBACIT Network“Water, Rights, and Utopias: priorities in the process of democratization of water politics“, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil, 3-7 September 2018. Article 1 was authored by David Sauri, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, co-editor of this issue. The article provides an overall introduction to the topic of rainwater harvesting. Article 2, by Martin Sanzana Calvet, Institute of Strategic Studies for Human Development (INEDH), Concepción, Bio-Bio, Chile, addresses the practice of fog catching in arid and semi arid regions of Chile. In Article 3, Daniel Tagle-Zamora, University of Guanajuato, Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, presents findings from research on the implementation of public policies oriented at the provision of rainwater catchment technologies, mostly for domestic use ,in several municipalities of the semi arid State of Guanajuato, Mexico. Article 4 was co-authored by Roberto de Sousa Miranda, Federal University of the interior of Pernambuco and Federal University of Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil, and Laiany Tassila Ferreira, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Brazil.The article discusses the implementation of a national plan to provide rainwater cisterns in the semi arid region of North eastern Brazil, with emphasis on the experience of the State of Paraiba. Finally, Article 5, by Ana Maria Attias Sole and Ricardo Lombardo Lopez, from the North-eastern National University, Resistencia, Chaco, Argentina, provides an overview of the historic legacy of water practices and technologies inherited fromthe“syncretism”between indigenous communities (Tupi-Guarani), and the Jesuit territorial expansion that took place between the early seventeenth and the mid eighteenth centuries in a large region of South America encompassing parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The article focuses mainly on examples from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, and provides insights into the significance of historical-cultural research in the production of knowledge about rainwater technologies and the associated culture and practices, which also contributes to our network’s Thematic Area 7, Water-related Art, Communication, Culture, and Education.

Olive cultivation is an activity that has been present in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula since ancient times. The way in which agricultural activities take place in the olive farms is a reflects the relationship between society and nature. However, these relationships are complex and there is no single form of connection between society and nature, but rather a dependence on both the natural and socio-economic context in which they develop. The society-nature relationship is influenced, on the one hand, by the social and economic framework in which it operates and, on the other hand, by physical and biological processes that determine how the transformations of natural resources are carried out. Understanding these interactions has required the development of a conceptual framework based on the ontological foundation of critical realism. This has allowed the integration, from the point of view of the complexity and transdisciplinarity, of different theoretical approaches that are related to the ecological economics. The aim of this investigation was the analysis of interactions between energy, material and economic processes in the agricultural system of the olive grove that, on the one hand, are conditioned by the natural characteristics of the territory and, on the other hand, driven by the social institutions involved in its development. The hypothesis assumes that currently an incipient change of energy consumption pattern exits, and consists in reducing the intensity of energy and material consumption in the society-nature relationship. The design of a consistent methodological approach that combines methodologies in a pluralistic framework through a relational link has allowed the integration of positivist and hermeneutic analysis tools for the representation of reality in its various dimensions. The results have confirmed the existence of an emerging trend, although minor and limited to certain processes of modernization, by which increased consumption of fossil energy is stopped and replaced by the use of renewable energy, while increases in production are achieved.

The Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park is located in the axial zone of the Central Pyrenees. It is the highest aquifer in Western Europe and is a protected area of international importance. Water is a key element for geodiversity and biodiversity. In the framework of the PIRAGUA research project, within the INTERREG POCTEFA program, the Spanish Geological and Mining Institute has evaluated the effect of climate change on the water resources of the National Park. To this end, numerical models have been developed to estimate the recharge to the aquifer based on the most likely scenarios of climate change. The joint analysis of the available scientific data allows several conclusions to be drawn: The increase in temperature and the decrease in snow cover caused by climate change significantly affect the quantity and quality of water. Recharge to aquifers decreases, due to less snow cover and less infiltration of water from snowmelt, causing a lower flow in springs such as the Cola de Caballo, during low water. This insufficient flow increases the concentration of pollutants. It aggravates the effects on water quality in aquifers, which are highly vulnerable due to the rapid velocities and short transit times of groundwater. These results will make it possible to propose management and adaptation measures to minimize the effects of climate change in such an emblematic and unique natural area as the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. The video aims to present the scientific results obtained from the project to the general public. To this end, the presentation has been approached from a pleasant and intelligible perspective, facilitating the understanding of the concepts and ideas presented, without needing to be an expert. To facilitate the dissemination of the informative video, it has been published, in Spanish with subtitled versions in French and English, on the YouTube channel of the Spanish Geological and Mining Institute (IGME-CSIC), which is publicly accessible. The video has also been publicized on the social networks of both IGME-CSIC and the PIRAGUA project partners. Due to its entertaining and informative content, the video has been selected and presented by the Ministry of Ecological Transition at the Spanish Pavilion of the 9th World Water Forum, which took place on 21-26 March 2022 in Senegal.