| Summary: | River conflicts have been a matter of abundant intellectual production. However, analysis on their relation to the appropriation of instream flows–related ecosystem services (ES) is missing. Such analysis, undertaken with a proper account for stakeholders’ views and interests, is the aim of this paper. As happens in other Mediterranean contexts, multiple water withdrawals from the Ter River (NE Catalonia, Spain), e.g., for hydropower and inter-basin water supply, disrupt instream flows throughout the entire course of the river. Traditionally, this situation has triggered local and regional disputes, becoming a main issue for water management in the basin district. Our methodology entails a five-step assessment for the study of the ES production related to both diverted and instream flows in the Ter River basin. The steps are: identification, characterization, localization, quantification and valuation. A key aspect of the methodology is the engagement of stakeholders; both key informants and water activist organizations. A three-year field research (2011-2014) included a large number of interviews, the organization of several workshops and two surveys. The results help to study multiple types of benefits that are connected to the management of water flows. Divergences in stakeholders’ views appear regarding the usage of water rights, wilderness versus recreational perspectives, and due to information asymmetries. In the same way, tensions occur when ES provision overlap in time and space and when tradeoffs among different ES arise. In conclusion, three ways of informing conflictive water-flows management from an ecosystem services approach are: 1) recognition of the diverse benefits from river flows, 2) analysis of hydrological alterations affecting ES production through the space, and 3) identification of tradeoffs among ES.
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