NeWater Delivers Training for Improving Adaptability

A training package developed by the European NeWater Project (New Approaches to Adaptive Water Management under Uncertainty) focuses on building capacity for the uptake of adaptive principles in delivering Integrated Water Management.

The main objective of the training material is to disseminate the knowledge and experience collected and developed in the NeWater Project and other research projects concerned with building more adaptive approaches into the planning and management of water resources. The focus of the training is upon increasing awareness and to encourage the adoption of adaptive aspects of the principles behind Integrated Water Resources Management.

About the Training Material

The training material, which has been developed and applied within the NeWater case study areas, is intended to support water managers in the implementation of their tasks in various aspects and phases of AWM. It represents the link needed for the use of tools to support the transition to AWM based on the key drivers and vulnerabilities identified in the case study areas involved in this project. The NeWater website allows the free download of the training material and visit supplementary materials.

About NeWater

NeWater (New Approaches to Adaptive Water Management under Uncertainty) is a research project supported by the European Commission under the "Global Change and Ecosystems" priority program. The NeWater project recognises the need for water management and decision-making models to transition towards more adaptive approaches. The scope of activities and expectations on water managers worldwide have expanded to include new dilemmas, such as balancing water quantity and quality, flooding, drought, maintaining biodiversity and ecological functions and services, in a context where human beliefs, actions and values play a central role. Furthermore, the growing uncertainties of global climate change and the long term implications of management actions make the problems even more difficult. NeWater identifies key elements of current water management regimes and investigates their interdependence. Research is focused on transformation processes of these elements in the transition to adaptive and integrated water resources management. Empirical work on the new methods of adaptive management is done in seven case studies in Europe, Central Asia and Africa.

The participation of stakeholders in the basins plays a crucial role in guaranteeing that methods developed meet practical demands and take into account concerns and expertise in the basins. In order to reflect and embrace central project outputs and getting attention for the project’s core messages and results, twelve NeWater synthesis products are developed. The synthesis products have to be understood as a joint effort by all NeWater partners to wrap up the project’s research insights and products.