Description: The Dead Sea Basin has been affected, like other areas in Jordan River Basin, by the economic and demographic changes of the last 50 years: the water level of the Dead Sea has declined over 21 m from 1930 to 1997, and its surface area has shrunk by about 30 percent. This proposal addresses the options for a future more sustainable development of the Dead Sea Basin through synthesizing the available data, analyzing the interactions between natural resources and human activities, and establishing strategic development plans. The underlying assumption of this proposal is that solutions for a more sustainable development will not come from simply providing 'more water for more development', but from a new land and water management system that is sensitive to social, cultural and ecological resources. The proposed research includes both the physical and social dimensions. The cornerstones of the project activities are: - The collection and harmonisation of basic and reliable data of factors that drive the water supply and demand will provide the basis of the work. Harmonized data will allow to view the basin 'as a whole'. - A system analysis will allow to understand the complexity of the interconnections of the physical, social and policy system, and to identify driving forces for system changes. - Options for alternatives to current water water management will be investigated: particularly important elements are socially and economically sustainable alternatives for irrigated agriculture, and the essential minimum water needs of nature and ecosystems. - Scenarios and system analysis will be synthesized into recommendations for strategic development options, and their impacts on nature, on society and on the economy. - A user advisory team that incorporates authorities, communities, and industry will support the project team and ensure the applicability of results. The overall objective of the project is to establish the scientific basis for a 'more sustainable than today' water management and water-related land management in the Dead Sea basin. Measurable objectives are: - Development of a GIS-based database that contains harmonised and comparable physical, economic and social data. - Establishment of realistic development scenarios until about the year 2020. - Analysis of the current water management system and its driving forces. - Establishment of criteria for essential water requirements for nature. - Analysis of socially, economically and environmentally sound alternatives for irrigated agriculture. - Identification of options for sustainable tourism. - Evaluation of technical options for a more sustainable water supply/use. - Establishment of a dynamic model for water supply and use under different development options. - Mapping of 'more sustainable than today' joint regional development plans.
SupportProgram
Origins: /Bund/UBA/UFORDAT
Tags: Jordan ? Gewässerbelastung ? Totes Meer ? Demografischer Wandel ? Geografisches Informationssystem ? Szenario ? Vorderasien ? Bewässerungsfeldbau ? Daten ? Einzugsgebiet ? Management ? Oberflächengewässer ? Sozialökologie ? Wasserversorgung ? Flussgebiet ? Wasser ? Natürliche Ressourcen ? Nachhaltige Entwicklung ? Nachhaltiger Tourismus ? Flächenmanagement ? Wasserknappheit ? Datenbank ? Landwirtschaft ? Ökosystem ? Wasserbedarf ? Wasserstand ? Wasserwirtschaft ? Landwirtschaftliche Fläche ? Nachfragestruktur ?
License: cc-by-nc-nd/4.0
Language: Englisch/English
Time ranges: 2003-02-01 - 2006-01-31
Webseite zum Förderprojekt
http://systemsresearch.ac.at/projects/dead_sea/ (Webseite)Accessed 1 times.