Castelli et al. (2026) Editorial: Sociohydrology in drylands

Identification

• Journal: Frontiers in Environmental Science
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-24
• Authors: Giulio Castelli, Fatma Wassar, Elena Bresci, Luigi Piemontese, Marcus Nüsser, Anahí Ocampo-Melgar, Mariana Madruga de Brito
• DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2026.1817593

Research Groups

• Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
• Higher Institute of Water Sciences and Techniques of Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, Tunisia
• Institute of Arid Regions, Laboratory of Eremology and Combating Desertification, Médenine, Tunisia
• Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
• Department of Geography, South Asia Institute (SAI), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
• Heidelberg Centre for the Environment (HCE), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
• Faculty of Forestry Sciences and Nature Conservation - Department of Forestry Management and its Environment, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
• Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Germany

Short Summary

This editorial synthesizes the contributions of a Research Topic on "Sociohydrology in drylands," highlighting the critical need for interdisciplinary approaches, integration of local knowledge, and consideration of socio-political dynamics to address water scarcity and foster sustainable human-water co-evolution in these vulnerable regions. It advocates for broadening sociohydrological research beyond flood-centric studies to encompass long-term water scarcity and justice issues prevalent in drylands.

Objective

• To synthesize the main findings of the "Sociohydrology in drylands" Research Topic, discuss their implications, and outline directions for future research in understanding human-water interactions within dryland environments.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, focusing on dryland regions worldwide, with case studies from Argentina, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Chile, Ethiopia, Palestine, Spain, and the USA.
• Temporal Scale: Encompasses historical contexts, current challenges, and future projections related to long-term human-water co-evolution and adaptation strategies in drylands.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not applicable for this editorial; however, the reviewed articles employed various approaches including numerical modeling (e.g., WEAP-MODFLOW), sociohydrological models, and spatial analysis methods.
• Data sources: Not applicable for this editorial; however, the reviewed articles utilized diverse data sources such as in-situ observations (e.g., fog water collection), satellite data, climate time series, ethnographic fieldwork, qualitative storytelling, interviews, surveys, Q methodology, and discourse analysis.

Main Results

• The Research Topic emphasizes the crucial role of incorporating local knowledge and co-creation practices in water management strategies for drylands.
• Dryland systems, while historically resilient, face unprecedented pressures from climate change and persistent historical injustices, necessitating new approaches to water management.
• Addressing water management in drylands requires a focus on water security and justice approaches, acknowledging socio-political dynamics like unequal resource distribution and gender inequity.
• Non-conventional water sources (e.g., rainwater harvesting, wastewater reuse, fog collection) show potential but require careful consideration of their social implications to avoid further marginalization.
• There is a strong call for increased interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating quantitative sociohydrological approaches with qualitative hydrosocial theory to comprehensively understand human-water feedback in drylands.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive synthesis of the emerging field of sociohydrology and hydrosocial theory specifically applied to drylands, a global hotspot for complex human-environmental interactions.
• Highlights the unique challenges and opportunities in drylands, advocating for a shift in sociohydrological research focus from flood-centric studies to long-term water scarcity, co-evolution, and socio-political dimensions.
• Bridges the methodological and conceptual gap between sociohydrology and hydrosocial theory by demonstrating their complementary roles in addressing dryland water issues.
• Emphasizes the critical importance of local knowledge, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a focus on water justice and equity for sustainable water management in dryland contexts.

Funding

The author(s) declared that financial support was not received for this work and/or its publication.

Citation

@article{Castelli2026Editorial,
  author = {Castelli, Giulio and Wassar, Fatma and Bresci, Elena and Piemontese, Luigi and Nüsser, Marcus and Ocampo-Melgar, Anahí and Brito, Mariana Madruga de},
  title = {Editorial: Sociohydrology in drylands},
  journal = {Frontiers in Environmental Science},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3389/fenvs.2026.1817593},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2026.1817593}
}