Emergent human–water interactions through the lens of the pluralistic water research approach—the case of the Garajonay National Park (La Gomera, Spain)

Garajonay National Park's resilience hinges on the interplay between its dense ecohydrological connectivity, which supports fog-dependent water recharge and forest functioning under normal conditions, and its vulnerability to disturbances like wildfires and drought. However, social and institutional connections within the park are weak and fragmented, limiting coordinated responses across sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and protected cloud-forest systems. The study applies the Pluralistic Water Research (PWR) approach to analyze emergent human-water interactions before and after a major wildfire in 2012, combining document analysis, stakeholder interviews, and an eDPSIR-based causal mapping approach. It identifies five feedback structures linking land abandonment, wildfire risk, water scarcity, pollution, ecosystem degradation, and stewardship, as well as five clusters of stakeholder responses related to education, ecotourism, mobility regulation, landscape management, and water governance.

García-Santos, G., Höllermann, B., Aboagye, P. D., López, Á. F., & Evers, M. (2026). Emergent human–water interactions through the lens of the pluralistic water research approach—the case of the Garajonay National Park (La Gomera, Spain). Frontiers in Water, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2026.1844384