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Project

Fostering European Drought Research and Science-Policy Interfacing (DROUGHT-R&SPI)

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Description:

The project aimed to reduce future Europe's vulnerability and risk to drought by innovative in-depth studies that combine drought investigations in six case study areas in water-stressed regions (river basin and national scale) with drought analyses at the pan-European scale. Knowledge transfer across these scales is paramount because vulnerability is context-specific (e.g. physical, environmental, socio-economic, cultural, legal, institutional), which requires analyses on detailed scales, whereas international policies and drought-generating climate drivers and land surface processes are operating on large scales. The project adopted Science-Policy Interfacing at the various scales, by establishing Case Study Dialogue Fora and a pan-Europe Dialogue Forum, which ensured that the research can be well integrated into the policy-making from the start of the project onwards. The study fostered a better understanding of past droughts (e.g. underlying processes, occurrences, environmental and socio-economic impacts, past responses), which then contributed to the assessment of drought hazards and potential vulnerabilities in the 21th C. An innovative methodology for early drought warning at the pan-European scale has been developed, which has improved on the forecasting and a suite of interlinked physical and impact indicators. This has helped to increase drought preparedness, and to indentify and implement appropriate Disaster Risk Reduction measures (along the lines of the UN/ISDR HFA). The project has lead through the combined drought studies at different scales to the identification of drought-sensitive regions and sectors across Europe and a more thorough implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive, particularly by further developing of methodologies for Drought Management Plans at different scales (incl. EU level). The work has been linked with the European Drought Centre ensuring that the outcome have been consolidated beyond the project lifetime.

Project information

Lead

WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITEIT, NEDERLAND

Partners

ALBERT-LUDWIGS-UNIVERSITAET FREIBURG, GERMANY; NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS, GREECE; EIDGENOESSISCHE FORSCHUNGSANSTALT WSL, SWITZERLAND; UNIVERSITA COMMERCIALE 'LUIGI BOCCONI', ITALIA; STICHTING DIENST LANDBOUWKUNDIG ONDERZOEK, NEDERLAND; INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE AGRONOMIA, PORTUGAL; UNIVERSITE DE CAEN BASSE NORMANDIE, FRANCE; EIDGENÖSSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND; UNIVERSITETET I OSLO, NORWAY; UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID, SPAIN; UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE VALENCIA, SPAIN

Source of funding

FP7

Reference information

Websites:

Published in Climate-ADAPT Jun 07 2016   -   Last Modified in Climate-ADAPT Mar 05 2024

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