Good governance leads to more water
There are many initiatives that support water resource management for the Mediterranean, but without a proper governance structure these efforts may lose steam. The EU-funded project 'Network on governance, science and technology for sustainable water resource management in the Mediterranean' (NOSTRUM-DSS) aimed to improve governance by bring together civil societies, the scientific community and policy actors. By creating a network of key stakeholders the project worked to boost science knowledge related to integrated water resource management (IWRM). The network would facilitate the development of support tools for policymakers, taking into account academia, government, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and others. Another important benefit would be raising public awareness with respect to the need for sustainable water management. NOSTRUM-DSS established various tools and communication initiatives such as databases, training material and reports that were presented on the project's website. A major achievement was the publication of the 'Best practices guidelines for the design and implementation of decision support systems (DSS) tools for IWRM'. This tool is expected to give communities and lawmakers a solid set of recommendations to help them manage their water resources more effectively. In effect, the project coordinated between scientists and policymakers to create a unified vision, map future challenges and advance water management, articulating an important governance structure in this sector. It combined statistical and spatial data with climate change projections to extrapolate the eventual impact on water resources. NOSTRUM-DSS has contributed valuable information for governing water resources, an initiative which is bound to have a positive impact on many nations and peoples.
