How to regulate agricultural abstraction of groundwater? A case study on the Roussillon aquifer

Abstract

In order to determine the best adapted economic tools to manage diffuse agricultural water withdrawals, a research in three steps is presented in this article: firstly, surveys (in Roussillon plain located in South of France) allow to improve the representation of withdrawers' behaviour and to test their reactions against some economic instruments. Secondly, a conceptual model is built, allowing determining theoretical impact of different instruments. Thirdly, these theoretical predictions are tested in laboratory with naïve subjects to evaluate empirically, in a controlled environment, the performance of these instruments.