Workpackage 1

Title

Qualitative system description of the core study sites

Coordinator

Prof. Mohamed A. Abdrabo

CEDARE, Egypt (Partner 10)

Objectives

To have a conceptual framework for the overall situation of each case study

Description

Six different case-studies over the Mediterranean were chosen. At the project take off meeting each case study was presented and the work plan was agreed with the groups of experts established for each case-study.

Existing material and data bases (socioeconomic and environmental) were reviewed on the study sites conditions. Stakeholders were identified and contacts established. Focus groups of key stakeholders were established and technical meetings were held at each site. The issues and their time and spatial scales were identified.

A conceptual frame work was developed for each case-study from the information collected in the literature and archival material, through research at site and received from local stakeholders.

Available expertise was: socioeconomic (sociocultural and economic); historical-geographical (evolution of the site, cultural geography, hydraulic archaeology, water use heritage); ecological (physical and biological environment), hydrological (water supply, demands, management…).

At each study site there were technical meetings of the expert team, involving also the stakeholders. These meetings provided a preliminary conceptual framework for each case study. The conceptual frameworks were disseminated to the partners, and the feed-back was received.

Deliverables

Conceptual frameworks for each case study

Milestones and expected results

Kick-off meeting (February 2006)

Focal technical meetings at each site (agreed with the local stakeholders)

Forum involving all the members of the projects (end of 2006)

Stakeholder analysis for each study site

Identification of the issues and links between affected compartments of the system analysed