Adaptive agreements on benefits sharing for managed aquifer recharge in the Mediterranean region (AGREEMAR)

Project type

Collaborative Research Project

Funding

The AGREEMAR project is funded within PRIMA - Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area.

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
Ministère de l`Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique (MESRS), Tunisia
Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industriales (CDTI), Spain
Research Promotion Foundation (RPF), Cyprus
Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal

Duration

06.2022 - 05.2025

Project coordinator

Technische Universität Dresden, Research Group INOWAS

Cooperation partners

Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie (INAT), Tunisia
adelphi research gGmbH, Germany
Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), Spain
ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence (ECoE), Cyprus
Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC), Portugal

Background

AGREEMAR proposes an improved and integrated management of water resources centered on optimizing the storage of water in the subsurface with the aim of increasing water security in the Mediterranean region. To reach this goal, the project will develop an integrated, participative and coordinated methodology to assess and map the feasibility of nature-based groundwater solutions such as managed aquifer recharge (MAR) for climate change adaptation in alignment to the IWRM principles.

The project methodology includes several components:

development and demonstration of a combined mapping methodology that integrates the demand for aquifer-dependent services, a realistic hydrological assessment of conventional and non-conventional water sources for MAR, and a GIS-based multi-criteria decision analysis for the selection of sites suitable for MAR application;
development of a general participatory governance framework at regional level based on the results from the feasibility mapping and national policy analysis;
validation of the feasibility maps through numerical models at watershed and local scale to assess the improvements in reliability, vulnerability and resilience provided by the inclusion of MAR schemes in water management schemes;
implementation of co-created location-specific agreements for MAR benefits sharing, supported by scientific evidence (feasibility maps and modelling) and endorsed by cross-sectoral stakeholder groups;
a participative multi-actor approach for fostering the engagement of stakeholders from different societal sectors and actor groups in all stages of project development.

The applicability of AGREEMAR governance framework will be demonstrated at island, regional and local scale on four case study areas from Tunisia, Cyprus, Portugal, and Spain. By selecting regions from EU and non-EU countries on both shores of the Mediterranean basin, AGREEMAR will foster intercultural and multidisciplinary collaboration and transfer between countries. The developed solutions are expected to close the gaps in the hydrological cycle and fulfil optimal water provisions for food security, domestic services and preservation of natural ecosystems in the Mediterranean region.

Project website

https://www.agreemar.inowas.com

Contact

Head of Research Group INOWAS

Dr. Catalin Stefan

Projects: AGREEMAR, FARM, R-MAR

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