The main goal of this study was to identify the problems that are putting the viability of watering ponds at risk. For doing that, we have analyzed five different study cases: (I) livestock consumption, Mediterranean climate (rangelands of SW Spain), (II) multifunctional ponds (Arroyo de la Luz, Spain), (III) ecotourism (Valdepajares de Tajo, Spain), (IV) crop irrigation and fish farming, semi-arid climate (the wilaya of Ouargla, Algeria), and (V) livestock consumption, humid subtropical climate (Prudentópolis, Brazil). The identification of problems was made through surveys, personal interviews, local knowledge and literature review as well as through the analysis of water quality parameters such as the concentration of phosphates and fecal coliforms in some ponds. We have identified problems of water shortage (ca. 50% of rangeland farmers), pollution induced by agriculture (maximum values of phosphates = 1.33 mg L −1) and livestock farming (maximum value of fecal coliforms ≈ 7000 cfu mL −1), low potability for human consumption (score: 2.8/7.0), invasive species such as Azolla filiculoides (10 out of 17 watering ponds), high water temperature for aquaculture in summer (Algeria) and the increase of turbidity in nearby water courses due to the actions of free-fattening pigs (Brazil), among many other problems. We conclude an extra effort by stakeholders is still needed in order to agree mitigation strategies.
