Aree costiere del Mediterraneo a rischio tra conservazione e sviluppo. Il progetto euro-mediterraneo WADI: uno sforzo d'integrazione

Mediterranean coastal areas are subject to ever increasing pressures by urbanization. They share environments of high natural and cultural values, a common heritage of the countries. The scarce fresh water reservoirs in these areas are often subject of conflicts for the use of the natural goods. Rarely a compromise is achieved that takes into account the needs of all the concerned actors, particularly the week components of the local populations and the natural ecosystems. The euro-Mediterranean project WADI (INCO-CT2005-015226, 6° framework programme of the European Commission) has analyzed some complex real cases of water bodies around the Mediterranean with scarce fresh water supply and subject to various pressures, both in the north (Italy and Spain) and south (Egypy, Tunisia and Morocco). We have adopted an integrative and participatory approach and conducted ecological and socioeconomic research, and present here the first results obtained.