Water Management in the Jordan River Basin: Towards an Ecosystem Approach

Abstract

The sustainable governance and management of river and drainage basins of the Middle East is of critical importance for economic development in the region. Arriving at a sustainable use of the region’s water resources forms a major challenge in the context of the region’s aridity, rainfall variability and water scarcity. The long-term sustainability of the resource is also affected by a number of volatile factors. These include, for example, conflicting territorial and resource claims, continued population growth, and immigration and refugee flows. These challenges have often raised the question over water resources ownership and management at the local level and between riparian states. Increasingly, however, these challenges are also seen as opportunities to start-up or intensify dialogue amongst stakeholders and institutions and stimulate innovations at different levels.