Case Studies On Water Conservation In The Mediterranean Region

In the Mediterranean region, agriculture is considered as the sector where the biggest volume of water can be saved as it represents around 80 percent of total demand, and a large amount of water is poorly used. The idea of the present report is to gather a number of "success stories". The case studies in five countries (Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia) were analysed in terms of main success as well as limiting factors, reported water savings and crop yield increase, as well as increase of water use efficiency. The lessons learnt include: Localised irrigation is not a miracle technology; modernised surface irrigation can be a water saving technique; a water conservation enabling environment is necessary to achieve successful water conservation and improve water use efficiency; sustainability of water management depends on carefully selected measures that complement each other.

Taking a uniquely interdisciplinary view of the Eastern Mediterranean region's water problems, this book considers some of the technical and regulatory solutions being proposed or implemented to solve the difficulties of diminished or polluted water supplies. Stressing the importance of traditional and historical cultural understanding in addressing the water crisis, the authors demonstrate that what is required is an integrated legal, social and scientific management system appropriate to each country's stage of development and their cultural heritage. Using case studies from Lebanon, Italy, Spain, Egypt, Greece, Jordan and Cyprus, the authors focus on the urgency of the present crisis faced by each country and the need for cooperation. The suggested solutions also serve as a paradigm for the rest of the world as it faces similar issues of water shortage.

Water harvesting is gaining more and more recognition as the sustainable and resilient alternative to other water supply options. It is economically viable, socially compatible and environmentally friendly. Water harvesting has proven to be a robust solution to overcome or reduce water shortages all over the world. To apply this in a sustainable and effective way, it is important to understand exactly where it can be applied to make full use of its potential. The Handbook of Water Harvesting and Conservation: Case Studies and Application Examples is the most comprehensive, up-to-date and applied casebook on water harvesting and conservation yet published. The editors bring together the many perspectives into a synthesis that is both academically-based and practical in its potential applications. The Handbook of Water Harvesting and Conservation: Case Studies and Application Examples will be an important tool for education, research and technical works in the soil, water and watershed management area, and will be highly useful for drought strategy planning, flood management and adaptation to climate change in all urban, agricultural, forest, rangeland areas.

This book provides a model for the creation of sustainable and healthy cities in the Mediterranean region. It uses the coastal city of L’Alfàs del Pi in Spain as an example for designing renewable and innovative urban models that offer high standards of living, wellbeing and eco-friendly advantages. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are presented by scholars in a wide variety of fields to provide a thorough understanding of the social, cultural, economic, political, physical, environmental and public health influences, through the case study of L'Alfàs del Pi. L’Alfàs del Pi has a geographically unique population made of a mixture of local inhabitants and Northern European residents attracted by the weather conditions and the sea. The chapters in this book explore a series of innovative proposals for addressing concerns in the area, including historic preservation, sustainable transportation, promoting health and physical activity and water conservation. The methodology establishes a strategic approach that serves as a useful reference point for coastal cities, particularly in Mediterranean countries, in the creation of sustainable and healthy cities. This book will appeal to researchers across the disciplines of tourism, planning, health geography, architecture and urban studies.

Addressing the links between science and the real world with a sound scientific baseline, Coastal Water Bodies targets researchers of various disciplines whose interest lies in the integrated sustainable management of coastal water bodies. The main topic of this book is not the ecology according to its accepted meaning, but rather the ‘places and people’ concerned – the coastal zones of the Mediterranean that are rich in ecological value and the local people who survive thanks to these environmental resources. Integration is the joint consideration of different aspects of water uses and values, and new ways of understanding and managing conflicts around water use are needed if people are to benefit from integration. Sustainability of the ecological and socioeconomic environments requires a climate in which conflicts, if they need to exist, are properly managed in a non-destructive manner.

* The only authoritative assessment of the past, present, and future of the environment and development of the Mediterranean basin and its 22 countries and territories, with research backed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the EU, and national governments * Information compiled by 300 researchers and clearly presented through hundreds of full-color maps, graphs, and tables * A must-have for all levels of government, NGOs, and libraries, as well as practitioners, academics, and businesses involved in economics, finance, environment, transport, water, infrastructure, urban and rural development, agriculture, fishing, aquaculture, conservation, health, and population. This is the definitive, authoritative assessment of the environment and development of the Mediterranean Basin and its 22 countries and territories, spanning five decades from thirty years ago to twenty years into the future. Produced by the Blue Plan within the framework of the Mediterranean Action Plan, and backed by UNEP, the EU, and national governments, the book brings together data from 100 researchers from dozens of national, regional, and local governments and research groups for the only comprehensive insight into sustainable development issues in the region. Core coverage includes water, energy, transport, cities, rural and coastal areas, as well as related issues such as climate change, population growth, geopolitical changes, unemployment and poverty, pollutions, economic and environmental policies, regional cooperation, and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Information is clearly presented through hundreds of full-color maps, graphs, tables, and case studies. This is a must-have reference for all levels of government, NGOs and libraries, as well as practitioners, academics and businesses involved in economics, natural resource management, land and maritime transport, water, energy, infrastructure, urban and rural development, agriculture, fishing and aquaculture, tourism, and coastal management. Countries and territories covered: Spain, France, Italy, Monaco, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco.

Much hope has been vested in pricing as a means of helping to regulate and rationalize water management, notably in the irrigation sector. The pricing of water has often been applied universally, using general and ideological policies, and not considering regional environmental and economic differences. Almost 15 years after the emphasis laid at the Dublin and Rio conferences on treating water as an economic good, a comprehensive review of how such policies have helped manage water resources an irrigation use is necessary. The case-studies presented here offer a reassessment of current policies by evaluating their objectives and constraints and often demonstrating their failure by not considering the regional context. They will therefore contribute to avoiding costly and misplaced reforms and help design water policies that are based on a deeper understanding of the factors which eventually dictate their effectiveness.

Using case studies from Africa, South America, Asia and the Caribbean, this book examines the progress made in uniting national aspirations of sustainable development strategies with their local implementation. Comparing the situation on the ground with formal national environmental action plans, the book compares progress, or the lack of progress, between different sectors, cultures, regions and resources throughout the developing world. It examines whether local knowledge and actions are undermining national aspirations or whether they are being ignored at the national level with detrimental consequences to sustainable development. The measurement of sustainable development, the role of formal and informal education in sustainable development and the significance of diverse voices in the practice of sustainable development are considered. The book draws lessons from those cases which appear to be experiencing positive moves towards sustainability and examines whether common frameworks exist which suggest that good practice may be transferable from one milieu to another.