There  is  a  growing  interest in  achieving  a  better  understanding  on  the  interactions  between  land  use  and  climate and their effect on water resources and people's livelihoods, with the aim of improving long-term sustainable water use.  This  is  even  more  relevant  in  areas  such  as  the  EU  Mediterranean  (EUM)  region,  which  is  a  major  climate change  hotspot  due  to  water  scarcity,  concentration  of  activities,  and  reliance  on  climate-sensitive  resources. Irrigated  agriculture  is  the  largest blue water  user  in  the  EUM,  accounting  for  more  than 50%  of  total  water withdrawal,  largely  doubling  the  EU  average[1].   Among  non-extractive  water  uses,  forests  and  rainfed  agriculture have  the  largest  green-water  footprint  and  play  a  fundamental  role  on  the  allocation  of  effective  rainfall  between green-and blue-water flows, determining the water availability for other uses.

INNOMED promotes a holistic approach to water resources management by:

i) considering the full water cycle as manageable   and   the   catchment   scale   as   the   most   relevant management   level; and

ii)   addressing   the integrated management  of  land  and  water,  with  a  special  focus  on  irrigated  agriculture  and  forests.

Its  main objective is  to  develop  and test advanced  modelling  tools  to  quantify  the  physical  and  economic  effects  of alternative  land management  options in  order  to  improve  water  use  efficiency  in  both  sectors  and  promote sustainable water management solutions. INNOMED addresses specific scientific  challenges in:

i)  estimating  the  allocation  of  green-and  blue-water flows of different  land  uses  and  their  spatial  and  temporal variations,  at  the  catchment  scale;

ii)  determining  the water footprint of different management options on forests and irrigated crops, including experimental trials, field monitoring  and  modelling,  at  the  field  scale;

iii)  integrating the physical and  economic  flows  resulting  from alternative  management  options.

An  enhanced  interface  between  scientists  and  stakeholders  (water  and  forest managers and farmers)  in  five  pilot  study  sites  will  allow:

i)  mapping  and  devising  current  and  innovative water-use  efficient  land management  options;

ii)  gathering  relevant  biophysical  and socio-economic  data  needed  for analysis; and

iii) focusing on relevant issues for the practical implementation of IWRM in the pilot study sites and beyond. INNOMED will provide scientific research outcomes of high standards taking into account the current biophysical and socio-economic challenges in the EUM region, and provide resilient solutions aiming at reducing the pressure for water in the agriculture and forestry sectors, while strengthening international cooperation in water research

Contacts:

Adriana Bruggeman     |     This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.     |     22 208 620

Christos Zoumides     |     This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.     |     +357 22 208 607