Water scarcity is a critical issue worldwide and has become a major constraint on socio-economic development. Seawater desalination is an appealing adaptation option in regions with access to the coast; however, it has sustainability challenges that require careful consideration. Two critical challenges are: how to manage the spectrum of potential adverse social and environmental impacts; and how to provide fair and sustainable water access benefits to the region as a whole. This paper presents a participatory modelling framework designed to support the participatory planning of sustainable integration of desalinated seawater into a regional water supply network in water-scarce regions. The framework is based on a modelling tool that facilitates collaborative understanding of the regional context and optimises and maps candidate water supply networks and the associated trade-offs between economic, environmental and social performance criteria. The framework aims to facilitate dialogue between all interested parties and contributes to a more informed, fair, consented, long-term and sustainable integration of desalinated seawater into regional water supply schemes. An application to the Atacama region in Chile illustrates the capabilities of the framework to communicate options under varying conditions of environmental protection. The case study also illustrates the role of stakeholders in the process of tool refinement as part of early-stage participatory planning.

中文翻译：

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使用参与式建模框架将淡化海水可持续地纳入区域供水网络

水资源短缺是世界性的重大问题，已成为社会经济发展的主要制约因素。在靠近海岸的地区，海水淡化是一种有吸引力的适应选择；然而，它面临着需要仔细考虑的可持续性挑战。两个关键挑战是：如何管理一系列潜在的不利社会和环境影响；以及如何为整个地区提供公平和可持续的水资源获取效益。本文提出了一个参与式建模框架，旨在支持将淡化海水可持续纳入缺水地区区域供水网络的参与式规划。该框架基于建模工具，促进对区域背景的协作理解，优化和绘制候选供水网络以及经济、环境和社会绩效标准之间的相关权衡。该框架旨在促进所有利益相关方之间的对话，并有助于以更知情、公平、协商一致、长期和可持续的方式将淡化海水纳入区域供水计划。智利阿塔卡马地区的应用说明了该框架在不同环境保护条件下交流选项的能力。该案例研究还说明了利益相关者在工具完善过程中的作用，作为早期参与规划的一部分。