CORDIS provides links to public deliverables and publications of HORIZON projects.
Links to deliverables and publications from FP7 projects, as well as links to some specific result types such as dataset and software, are dynamically retrieved from OpenAIRE .
Exploitable results
Objectives
Main aim of the CAESAR project was the development of sustainable environmental management systems for land use and water management for the urban-rural interface in the Havana region, Cuba. An integrated and interdisciplinary geoecological analysis and assessment of environmental systems was the basis of the project. Recent processes relating to landscape degradation, current and historical land use, in particular water management were analysed. In accordance with natural, economical and social basic conditions, guidelines were drawn up for sustainable territorial planning, from which a suitable land use planning and an adequate water management could be derived.
Methodologies and activities
The drainage basin of the rivers Río Almendares and Río Quibú are, because of taking 25% of the cities territory and their therefore decisive and important role in town planning of Havana, treated as exemplary areas for the detailed qualitative recording of data. By means of en environmental monitoring the research area was analysed in terms of its natural and human geography. The opinions and attitudes of social protagonists on environmental problems were examined in terms of social scientific perception methods and the geomedical conditions were analysed. Results on the geoecological conditions and the landscape degradation were used to elaborate recommendations for suitable environmental political measures based on scientific discussions. Educational, informational and awareness measures were recommended and will be used to illustrate environmental problems using for example a modern multimedia documentation elaborated by the consortium. Application orientated transferability of the research approach applied in the Havana region was illustrated on similar urban ¿ peri-urban regions with similar conditions in Latin America, or rather the wider peri-urban region of Mexico City. In proposing environmental friendly utilization alternatives orientated on sustainable geoecological principles, an improvement in quality of life in rural-urban interface could be achieved.
Obtained results
All main project findings were reported to the decision-makers and stakeholders (governmental organisations, planning institutions etc.) in the Havana region, to fulfil the commitment of the transfer of knowledge from the project to stakeholders and to contribute to an improvement of decision making. Working closely with local organisations like the Talleres de Transformación Integral del Barrio (TTIB) or local leaders enabled their participation in project tasks as well as the uptake of project results. With the cooperation of local leaders, a concrete take-up action could be realised, starting the transformation of an abandoned quarry within a marginal quarter in the city of Havana (at the banks of the Quibú river), converting it to an environmental park or demonstrative area, suitable for neighbourhood recreation and environmental education related activities. This is only one example of how the integrative CAESAR-project focussed the research activities as well at the service of society and contributes so to overcome certain societal problems. E.g. the whole package of the projects recommendations, concerning as well health related issues and measures of communal participation, contribute to an improvement in the quality of life.
The increased experience of the Cuban scientists and the created necessary infrastructure will help to a future application to other similar regions inside the country. Here is to be mentioned that the Facultad de Geografía of the Universidad de La Habana, representative for the whole CAESAR team, has won the 2004 National Award of the Ministry of Higher Education for the best applied research project. As well the Cuban Ministry for Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA) awarded the CAESAR-project. Further an immense number of students graduated (diploma, master and doctorate) in the frame of the CAESAR project.
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