WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY IN MEDITERRANEAN TRANSBOUNDARY RIVER BASINS

摘要

Water has been recognized as a key natural resource for environmental security, socio-economic development and human well-being. In the Mediterranean area, sustainable water resources management is a major issue, given the semi-arid climate, the variability of hydrological characteristics and the fragile socio-economic conditions. The majority of the population around the Mediterranean lives in transboundary river basins. Sharing water and securing social and political stability in these regions present several technical and cooperative challenges. In this paper, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), based on integrated risk assessment, is proposed as a tool for conflict resolution in internationally shared water resources management. The case of the Mesta/Nestos River in South Eastern Europe (SEE) illustrates the methodology.