WASEC – Innovative educational tools for the sustainable management of semi-aquatic ecosystems to promote water security in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

Water is the most valuable and rare resource in the Eastern Mediterranean. The potential climate change impacts in the region require a new generation of water managers to learn and utilize new and innovative methods and techniques to achieve water sustainability. A key to provide adequate water supplies in the region is the sustainable management of semi-aquatic ecosystems such as wetlands, riparian areas and deltas. These ecosystems provide many services to humans, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions. Some of the services are directly connected to water supply and water quality. Through the WaSec project the awareness of the importance of these ecosystems for water security in the Eastern Mediterranean will be promoted. In addition, it will develop material that will train science-based water management graduates with the necessary tools on the proper management of these ecosystems to provide services for water security of the region. This will be accomplished by five main actions: a) Mining Stakeholders Views, b) a Neighborhood Network, c) University Courses, d) Establish University-Enterprise Collaborations and e) Dissemination Activities. Through these actions, water security in the Eastern Mediterranean will be promoted because the awareness by policymakers and the general public on the importance of semi-aquatic ecosystems will be enhanced and a new generation of water managers will be trained. This paper was presented at the MONITOX International Symposium “Deltas and Wetlands”, Tulcea, Romania, 15-17 September, 2019.