New approaches to adaptive Water Management under uncertainty – NEWATER
The central tenet of the NeWater project is a transition from currently prevailing regimes of river basin water management into more adaptive regimes in the future. This transition calls for a highly integrated water resources management concept. NeWater identifies key typical elements of the current water management system and focuses its research on processes of transition of these elements to adaptive IWRM. Each key element is studied by novel approaches.
The central tenet of the NeWater project is a transition from currently prevailing regimes of river basin water management into more adaptive regimes in the future. This transition calls for a highly integrated water resources management concept. NeWater identifies key typical elements of the current water management system and focuses its research on processes of transition of these elements to adaptive IWRM. Each key element is studied by novel approaches.
The development of concepts and tools that guide an integrated analysis and support a stepwise process of change in water management is the corner-stone of research activities in the NeWater project. To achieve its objectives the project is structured into six work blocks, and it adopts a management structure that allows effective exchange between innovative and cutting edge research on integrative water management concepts, with practical applications and testing through participatory stakeholder processes in selected river basins.
In the four years of the NeWater project, work has produced a number of outputs and short-term outcomes. Formal outputs include all deliverables accessible from the project’s web site and the NeWater related section of the WISE-RTD research portal (http://www.wise-rtd.info/). An overview of all deliverables (more than 200) is provided in a brochure, acceessible under www.newater.info/downloadattachment/1013/5017/NeWater%20ResultsBrochure2009.pdf The twelve synthesis products incorporate most of the outupts and results (in bold are synthesis products to which FEEM contributed):
- Management and Transition Framework
- Uncertainty Guidance
- Policy Process
- Climate and water adaptation book
- Water resources scenarios for CS regions
- Cross comparisons of adaptation strategies across regions
- Process for analysing dynamic vulnerability and adaptive capacity
- Special issue on participation
- Guidebook for Adaptive Watter Management
- NeWater portal
- Training material
- Online curriculum