WATER FOOTPRINT RESEARCH IN BRAZIL – SCOPING REVIEW

Abstract

Freshwater plays a crucial role in human life and is also necessary for economic and ecosystem stability. Freshwater resources around the globe are under significant pressure because of increasing consumption and pollution of water by society, and decreasing water availability due to climate change. Therefore, many tools for sustainability assessment of water use have been developed in the last several decades. One of the popular methodologies is water footprinting. The intensity of water footprint research can show the importance of water-related issues in individual communities. This paper aims to make a review of water footprint research in Brazil, its influence, and internationality. The main research methods for scoping review described in this article include bibliometric analysis. Scopus database was used for the data aquisition. The term “water footprint” and affiliation to the institution in Brazil were used as eligible criteria. The number of publications, its citations and co-authorship analysis were used for the analysis of research groups and influence of its research outputs. Co-authorship analysis was used for the description of international collaboration of Brazilian researchers. Keyword analysis was used for the identification of main topics in the water footprint research in Brazil. The analyses showed the high intensity of water footprint research in Brazil and its importance for the scientific community. International collaboration of Brazilian research is on the level of 30%. The main topics of water footprint research in Brazil are sustainability, life cycle assessment, and water resources. This scoping review will be conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Statement.