Field methods and eco-hydrological models for integrated water management in rural areas
Rural regions play a central role in the management of water resources
of the earth. Most ground- and freshwater originates from these regions,
but they do not only “produce” water, on a global scale agriculture
consumes more than 70% of freshwater resources. The expected climatic
changes aggravate the situation, especially for BRIC (Brazil, Russia,
India, China) countries where water is scarce – at least in parts of the
countries. In Germany (and Europe), the problems of water quantity are
less important than that of quality, because many freshwater bodies are
polluted. As a countermeasure to improve the ecological quality of
water bodies, the European Community has implemented the Water Framework
Directive (WFD), which has stimulated many interdisciplinary research
activities aiming at an integrated management of catchments. The
application of these methods and models is not limited to Europe, they
can be applied to other climates as well – the sustainable use of water
resources in rural landscapes is a global problem. This summer course is
the second of three subsequent courses. The summer schools 2008 was
about water quantity, in 2009 we will deal with management of water
quality (2009) and in 2010 with integrated management of water
resources.
