Abstract
Transboundary water systems, which include interlinked river basins, lakes and aquifers, do not respect jurisdictional boundaries and many of them extend over more than one country. Management of these aquifers in fragmented ways may affect sustainable development within and beyond a country’s borders and this requires an integrated water resource management approach. The importance of transboundary water was initially recognized under the ‘Convention on the protection and use of transboundary watercourses and international lakes (Helsinki, 1992)’, a legal framework for transboundary water cooperation worldwide, globally available since 2003. The global assessment of Transboundary Water Assessment Programme (TWAP) was developed by the UNESCO’s International Hydrology Program, and a conceptual framework for transboundary aquifers (TBA) assessment was developed by UNESCO-IHP and the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) in 2002 describing the major issues of concern and the priorities for supporting the conservation of TBA systems. As a result, the International Shared Aquifer Resources Management (ISARM) initiative was launched globally in 2002. Here we summarize key findings from 11 papers, most of which were selected by invitation to prepare this special issue on the International Shared Aquifer Resources Assessment and Management from four continents: Africa, America, Asia and Europe.
Published Version
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