Creating a web of green

What the Mediterranean countries are doing to deal with their water demand management needs:

1. International Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain
Zaragoza is in northern Spain and is also known as Saragossa. It’s the most important city in the Ebro valley, dating back to 14BC. Many ruins of Roman origin can be seen in the city. Zaragoza is currently making a noticeable effort to recover its more than 30 kilometres of riverbanks, aiming to revitalise wastelands and turning it into green corridors

Zaragoza hosted Expo Zaragoza 2008. The theme of this exhibition was “Water and sustainable development”, considering all the problems of water as a way of co-operation and creativity between all the peoples and as a cultural legacy to pass on to future generations. The expo site was on the Ebro River and included some groundbreaking architecture housing exhibits around the theme of "Water and Sustainable Development."

Link to Expo website
Link to Expo key themes and objectives

B4C's tour report World Expo 2008

2. Regional workshop on Water & Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean

Over a hundred participants from 14 Mediterranean countries attended the 3rd regional workshop on water and sustainable development in the Mediterranean region in Saragossa on 19, 20 and 21 March 2007.

This international event was organised by Plan Bleu under the aegis of the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development. The debates focused on water demand management and highlighted the need to share successful experiences, to draw up reports on progress made in terms of water demand management in the Mediterranean countries, to analyse the policy instruments implemented, to identify the main obstacles and to formulate proposals for the integration of water demand in water, sectorial policies as well as in international cooperation policies.

The conclusions includethe need to improve knowledge concerning available resources as well as present and future water needs to contribute to setting up a Mediterranean Water Observatoryto raise the awareness of the general public on water scarcity and the need to save water to involve local players in the steps to be taken for water demand management andto integrate climate change issues in water management strategies

The main recommendations were presented at the 7th public session of the Permanent Forum on Water and Sustainability of Expo Zaragoza 2008:
"Water demand management in the Mediterranean, progress and policies” (pdf file)

Information supplied by:
Roberto A. Epple, Executive Director European Rivers Network President.
info@rivERNet.org   www.ern.org  OR www.rivERNet.org