TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors influencing water quality perceptions in an urban and rural watershed in southern Ecuador
T2 - A case study of applied interdisciplinary research training in Ecuador
AU - Hormel, Leontina
AU - Wardropper, Chloe B.
AU - Scott, Carly B.
AU - Gallardo, María Verónica Iñiguez
AU - Roon, David
AU - Armijos, Carlos Iñiguez
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded and supported by National Science Foundation-IRES Award Number 1460079.
Funding Information:
LH served as an UI faculty advisor in the social sciences dimension of this project (2016–2020), mentoring in research design and conducting analysis of data collected. CBW served as an UI faculty advisor for the social sciences dimension of this project (2018–2020), mentoring in research design and conducting analysis of data collected. CBS was an undergraduate social science and social statistics researcher in 2018 and conducted the statistical modeling and analysis for this article. MVIG served as the lead Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) faculty advisor in the social sciences dimension of this project (2016–2020), mentoring in research design, field research, and conducting analysis of data collected. CIA served as a UTPL faculty advisor in the water quality measurement dimension of this project (2016–2020), mentoring in research design and conducting analysis of data collected for water quality. DR is the University of Idaho faculty and Co-principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation-IRES grant that enabled this project to take place, coordinating and participating in all facets of this research program.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/9/15
Y1 - 2021/9/15
N2 - River water quality and quantity are declining globally as a result of land use and population growth. Enhanced river management that includes input from local watershed residents is needed to sustain this resource. As an international framework, integrated water resources management (IWRM) aims to support inclusive governance of water systems. Ecuador is one of the countries that has looked to IWRM as a guide, though little research on water quality is available in the country. Our case study describes both the research process and outcomes of an integrated assessment of water quality and perceptions in the south Ecuador city of Loja, through which flow two rivers: Rio Zamora and Rio Malacatos. Our team sought to take both biophysical and perceptual measures of water quality in these rivers and tributaries and build interdisciplinary research skills among undergraduate and early graduate students in collaboration with faculty researchers from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja and the University of Idaho. In this case article, we concentrate on the process and results of the social scientific dimension of this interdisciplinary project, describing how surveys and interviews were used to build our understanding of the connections between the biophysical water quality measures and water quality perceptions of different communities within the watershed. Readers will learn about the possibilities of conducting interdisciplinary, international team projects to answer applied socioenvironmental questions along with challenges that should be anticipated when designing this kind of research.
AB - River water quality and quantity are declining globally as a result of land use and population growth. Enhanced river management that includes input from local watershed residents is needed to sustain this resource. As an international framework, integrated water resources management (IWRM) aims to support inclusive governance of water systems. Ecuador is one of the countries that has looked to IWRM as a guide, though little research on water quality is available in the country. Our case study describes both the research process and outcomes of an integrated assessment of water quality and perceptions in the south Ecuador city of Loja, through which flow two rivers: Rio Zamora and Rio Malacatos. Our team sought to take both biophysical and perceptual measures of water quality in these rivers and tributaries and build interdisciplinary research skills among undergraduate and early graduate students in collaboration with faculty researchers from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja and the University of Idaho. In this case article, we concentrate on the process and results of the social scientific dimension of this interdisciplinary project, describing how surveys and interviews were used to build our understanding of the connections between the biophysical water quality measures and water quality perceptions of different communities within the watershed. Readers will learn about the possibilities of conducting interdisciplinary, international team projects to answer applied socioenvironmental questions along with challenges that should be anticipated when designing this kind of research.
KW - Ecuador
KW - Integrated water resources management
KW - Interdisciplinary undergraduate research training
KW - International river water quality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85115187696&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85115187696&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1525/cse.2021.1434937
DO - 10.1525/cse.2021.1434937
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85115187696
SN - 2473-9510
VL - 5
JO - Case Studies in the Environment
JF - Case Studies in the Environment
IS - 1
ER -