Examples include nations within the European Union that have the Water Framework Directives (WFD) to guide their network implementation efforts. WFD implementation has proven to be both technically and administratively challenging, thus the EU experience provides a useful model for development and maintenance of monitoring networks in non-EU countries, including the United States.
In contrast, some countries in Africa have just begun network planning that includes comprehensive groundwater resource protection and restoration. Their efforts demonstrate the advantages of beginning this work with no pre-existing groundwater-focused legislation or regulatory framework, while also showing the considerable challenges they are facing.
Additional examples come from South Asia and the South Pacific. New Zealand implemented nationwide water resource monitoring including groundwater several years ago, and thus serves as an example similar to the WRD-driven countries in the European Union. In India, monitoring network planning has progressed through early stages of implementation, including evaluation of benefits and costs. Given the large population and significant stresses on groundwater resources in India, this example offers insights that can prove valuable to other similar countries.
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