Water abstraction detection and monitoring focus on water management and compliance with water regulation rules and water rights. It is linked to evaluation through the potential re-use of its data products. Evaluators can re-use the data provided by the tool to support evaluation purposes.
Estimation of the water abstraction indicator: The maps of irrigation water consumption and abstracted volumes can serve as alternative water abstraction recording mechanisms. This is especially true in areas with no metering devices or if there are no other ways of getting a safe water abstraction estimate at the parcel level. This estimation can calculate the current water abstraction impact indicator (I.10) and the PMEF indicators related to water use (I.17 and R.22). For the result indicator R.22, the tool can offer an additional evaluation check and a better approximation of the number of hectares actually not irrigated.
Estimation of policy effects: The maps of irrigation also can evaluate the effectiveness of water-saving measures. Since abstractions are linked to the LPIS and IACS, beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of various irrigation and water abstraction measures are known. Such data can support the adoption of more sophisticated and advanced evaluation techniques to approximate the net impacts of the assessed actions. Furthermore, water abstraction maps can be combined with IACS/LPIS data for macro evaluations using geostatistical analyses or quasi-experimental methods at the macro (landscape or regional) level.
The water abstraction monitoring maps have been validated at the stage of ‘proof-of-concept’ in three case study areas in Spain, Romania and Italy. Their use has been tested by The Andalusian Federation of the Irrigators Communities of Andalucia (FERAGUA), the National Authority ‘Romanian Water’ (NARW) and the Consorzio di Bonifica Sannio Alifano, which is the largest water association in the Campania Region of Italy. The latter also tested the tool in combination with IACS/LPIS that permits identifying irrigated areas compliance with regular authorisations. The maps and associate material generated by the tool for the case study areas during the validation stage is provided by the lead partner’s contact person upon request.