Water Resources in the Mediterranean Region

Abstract

Mediterranean environments raise very specific problems for water resources management. Asymmetries of water availability and needs in annual and inter-annual terms and a peculiar relationship among water, soil and environment are some of these problems. In these environments, an integrated approach for water resources management is required. In this paper, a brief review of water needs and water availability in the Mediterranean countries is presented and the most relevant management issues raised by water scarcity are briefly discussed. Data on freshwater resources and on the distribution of different sectoral water uses in 19 countries of the Mediterranean region is presented and discussed. The close relationship between water resources management and land-use management is emphasized as a key issue for the integrated management of water in the region. The consequences of water shortages and the increase of water and land stressed situations may be aggravated in the future by climatic change. The Mediterranean can be seen as a laboratory for water management. Extreme conditions trigger new approaches. Shared difficulties are an incentive for exchanging information and jointly searching for new solutions that may be useful not only in the Mediterranean but also elsewhere.