BASE

Bottom up Adaptation Strategies for a Sustainable Europe

BeWater: Society Adapting to Global Change in the Mediterranean Basin

BeWater aims to promote dialogue and collaboration between science and society in sustainable water management in the Mediterranean. Participatory processes involving scientists, stakeholders and citizens in four pilot river basins (Catalonia, Cyprus, Slovenia and Tunisia) will be carried out to identify and share the challenges of climate change, analyse water management options and elaborate specific adaptation plans. 

BeWater uses an iterative process of mutual learning, participatory techniques and a bottom-up approach to ensure that stakeholders play an active role in determining appropriate strategies for management of river basins.

By actively engaging with local communities, BeWater involves society in discussions on current water uses and their related problems, raising public awareness of the importance of sustainable water management, with particular focus on the expected climate change impacts at River Basin scale.

In four Case Study River Basins across the Mediterranean, newly developed methodologies integrating physical, ecological, social and management processes are used to develop Water Management Options. These Management Options will be discussed with local communities who will participate in drawing up locally-relevant Adaptation Plans, which may be scaled up to develop guidelines of national and international relevance.

Coordinator: CREAF. Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications

Duration: 2013-2017

Programme type: FP7 Science in Society

Subprogramme Area: Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) Action Plans