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Wetlands International in the Mediterranean

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Wetlands International in the Mediterranean Mission: Wetlands International welcomes your support. We invite governments, institutes, knowledge centres, donors and NGOs working on similar issues to join forces To sustain and with us and our partners to help us achieve sustainable water resource and Wetlands restore wetlands, wetlands management in the Mediterranean. their resources and biodiversity For more information, contact us: International in the Mediterranean Headquarters Mr Laith El Moghrabi PO Box 471 Mediterranean Tour du Valat 6700 AL Wageningen Le Sambuc - 13200 Arles The Netherlands In 2009, Wetlands International established a France Wetlands International is a global organization Mediterranean Programme Office, which is hosted E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] with a mission to sustain and restore by the Tour du Valat in the Camargue in France. Website: www.wetlands.org/medwetwat Website: www.wetlands.org wetlands, their resources and biodiversity. With financial support from the Government of It is an independent, not-for-profit, global Canada provided through the Canadian International organization, supported by government and Development Agency (CIDA), this office is leading a NGO membership from around the world, with Mediterranean wetlands and water resources initiative a network of 20 regional and national offices with field level projects in critical wetlands of Jordan, Our next steps that facilitate activities in over 100 countries. Tunisia and Morocco. Wetlands International, along with Its long-term vision is to have a world where its regional and national partners, focuses on engaging While we are pleased with the progress to date, wetlands are treasured and nurtured for their civil society in water management in the Southern and there is more to do. Together with our partners, beauty, the life they support and the resources Eastern Mediterranean Region. we have identified an ambitious plan for engaging they provide. in sustainable solutions for water and wetlands management in the region. Our key objectives Our approaches include: Wetlands International’s goal is that wetlands are wisely used and restored for the role they play in: Water Scarcity in the Mediterranean • influencing changes in water allocation The Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region is one in infrastructure plans at river basin and • improving human well-being and local livelihoods of the most water-deprived regions of the world. Annual national levels through a consultative, • conserving biodiversity water consumption outstrips renewable resources. integrated approach that involves relevant • sustaining the water cycle There is growing pressure on water resources because stakeholders, including local communities, • reducing climate change and its impacts of increased demand. 60% of the population (180 while promoting sustainable practices million people) suffers from a water deficit in the along basins and wetlands. Wetlands International was one of the founding partners Mediterranean, 60 million people suffer from water • mobilising technical exchanges and of the MedWet Initiative twenty years ago. Our work scarcity and 20 million have no access to potable water. information from case studies between in this region has spanned from wetland monitoring Expected population growth, increased water use per different partners as examples and tools to and research, to capacity building of partners and capita, dwindling aquifers and global climate change connect organisations, people and sites. stakeholders, and encouraging collaboration between (drought) will make water scarcity worse. • building the capacity of existing civil the different regional, national and local players. society organisations and networks to communicate common messages, and use the different capacities of national and regional partner organisations to create impacts at the policy and implementation Mujib River, Jordan levels. Photo credits: Maïlis Renaudin Support provided by the following donor: Monitoring demonstration, Sebou River, Morocco We aim to raise awareness on decisions related to water allocation and extraction that may cause valuable wetlands to disappear. Currently, water management approaches in the south What Wetlands International is trying to and east Mediterranean are prioritising one ecosystem achieve value - use of water for productive sectors - over Wetlands International’s main objective in the others, such as fresh water for local communities Mediterranean is to promote more sustainable Water and their livestock, and the sustenance of wetlands Resource Management planning for the wetlands of for biodiversity. Civil society can play a critical role in the arid and semi-arid regions, in order to alleviate the helping governments to find a more balanced approach scarcity of clean freshwater for people and biodiversity. to water management by looking at the broader range of ecosystem values - in this case for wetlands. We advocate for healthy, functional wetlands to be integrated into the solutions for addressing water Gender awareness session, Tunisia scarcity. We aim to raise awareness on decisions related to water allocation and extraction that may cause valuable wetlands to disappear. Our approach focuses on: We work with local partners to address water • establishing a civil society platform of NGOs, management issues that are critical to their own water users and research institutes to initiate • knowledge: collecting information on water local contexts and communities, and link these to a dialogue with ABHS on water management scarcity, unsustainable situations and the role the wider regional context. To date, some of our planning processes. of wetlands to guide management of water successes include: resources. In Jordan, we worked with the RSCN (Royal Society for • building capacity and awareness of In Tunisia, we worked with INAT (National Agronomic the Conservation of Nature) on the Mujib River to: stakeholders: help community-based and Institute of Tunis), to promote sustainable water Education with schools in Jordan non-profit organisations and research institutions resources management in the Ichkeul catchment area • assess the impacts of the Mujib Dam on the calling for more sustainable and fair water through: ecosystems of Mujib Biosphere Reserve, in allocation to influence policy and decision-making regards to pollution, water extraction and processes. • developing a water resource allocation decision- fluctuation. • exchange of experience: creating links between making tool by engaging in a consultative • produce a management plan for the Mujib national and regional partners with a focus on dialogue that succeeded in gathering all involved Reserve, including its first local water strategy, south-south connections. stakeholders into the balanced allocation of water through a consultative process with relevant for the ecosystems of Ichkeul. stakeholders. • raising the awareness of local people around the • involve farmers around the river basin in ecological lake, including women, on the importance of wise agricultural practices to sustain water resources water management. and preserve water quality. • conduct awareness programs for school and In Morocco, we worked with Med PO WWF (WWF university students on the importance of good Mediterranean Programme, Office of Morocco) and practices in water resource management and the ABHS (Sebou River Basin Agency) on the water quality importance of conserving ecosystems. of the Sebou River. In this project, we succeeded in: • developing and establishing a monitoring Regional roundtable, Jordan protocol for evaluating the ecological status of the freshwater in the basin of Sebou, becoming the first river basin in Morocco to adapt the Water Framework Directive model in a non European country. Ifrane National Park, Morocco We aim to raise awareness on decisions related to water allocation and extraction that may cause valuable wetlands to disappear. Currently, water management approaches in the south What Wetlands International is trying to and east Mediterranean are prioritising one ecosystem achieve value - use of water for productive sectors - over Wetlands International’s main objective in the others, such as fresh water for local communities Mediterranean is to promote more sustainable Water and their livestock, and the sustenance of wetlands Resource Management planning for the wetlands of for biodiversity. Civil society can play a critical role in the arid and semi-arid regions, in order to alleviate the helping governments to find a more balanced approach scarcity of clean freshwater for people and biodiversity. to water management by looking at the broader range of ecosystem values - in this case for wetlands. We advocate for healthy, functional wetlands to be integrated into the solutions for addressing water Gender awareness session, Tunisia scarcity. We aim to raise awareness on decisions related to water allocation and extraction that may cause valuable wetlands to disappear. Our approach focuses on: We work with local partners to address water • establishing a civil society platform of NGOs, management issues that are critical to their own water users and research institutes to initiate • knowledge: collecting information on water local contexts and communities, and link these to a dialogue with ABHS on water management scarcity, unsustainable situations and the role the wider regional context. To date, some of our planning processes. of wetlands to guide management of water successes
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