Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers

This commentary examines the governance of transboundary aquifers, arguing that the principle of "no significant harm" should be prioritized over "reasonable and equitable use" in management negotiations.

• The author argues that in the governance of transboundary aquifers, the principle of "no significant harm" should be given priority over the principle of "reasonable and equitable use."
• Two pre-eminent principles in transboundary aquifer governance are the requirement to reduce significant harm to other aquifer portions and related natural resources, and the requirement to ensure water use is reasonable and equitable compared to other users and uses.
• Achieving a balance between the principles of "no significant harm" and "reasonable and equitable use" is difficult, as it is often unclear which principle should take priority or under what constraints.

APA

Brooks (2015). Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/prioritizing-no-significant-harm-over-reasonable-and-equitable-governance

Chicago

Brooks. Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/prioritizing-no-significant-harm-over-reasonable-and-equitable-governance.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Brooks |title=Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=20 March 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/prioritizing-no-significant-harm-over-reasonable-and-equitable-governance |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brooks2015prioritizing, author = {Brooks}, title = {{Prioritizing “No Significant Harm” over “Reasonable and Equitable” in Governance of Aquifers}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/prioritizing-no-significant-harm-over-reasonable-and-equitable-governance}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }