The Upper Mur River is considered as one of the most ecologically valuable rivers of Austria due to the natural reproduction for the Danube salmon. The systematic regulation of the river began at the end of the 19th century, distributaries were cut off and large areas were drained in order to intensify agricultural land use. Restoration measures started in 1997 in the area of the Upper Mur and the “Grenzmur”. Various projects facilitated the renaturation of more than 22 km both in the upper course and the Slovenian border section of the river. A policy issue highlighted by the project is the importance to reconcile key needs for nature conservation with demands for renewable energy generation from small hydro power plants.
GWP Ghana, in collaboration with the Water Resources Commission, hosted the 7th WACDEP Technical Coordination Workshop. The workshop took place in Accra, Ghana, from 5th to 7th October 2015.
March 28, 2014, the Chinese Academy of Engineering organized the "Session on the Progress Report of the Programme on Collection of China’s Response Strategies of Drought and Flood” in Beijing. The participants were from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Civil Affairs, China Meteorological Administration, and other organizations, around 60 people in total attending the meeting.
The first consultation workshop of the Water Policy Dialogue in Palestine, within the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) labelled project Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector was held in close cooperation with the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), on 13 November 2014, in Ramallah. With more than 40 key stakeholders from the government; private companies and banks; research institutes and Academia; media as well as the Civil Society actively participating, the workshop marked the official launch of the Policy Dialogue to be conducted by GWP-Med within the period 2014-2015.
The Prespa basin was affected by over-abstraction and diversion of water, wetland drainage, deforestation and overgrazing, leading to danger for human livelihoods and ecosystems. Action was taken by WWF through the creation of the Society for the Protection of Prespa, eventually culminating in the creation of Prespa National Park. The lesson drawn is that to change the perspective of local stakeholders to ensure that they share a common vision is vital for success.
The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP SA) and the Resilience in the Limpopo Project (RESILIM – a USAID funded project) are working on behalf of the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) to review and update into an Action plan - ‘the Limpopo Basin Strategic Plan for reducing vulnerability to floods and droughts’. This review is part of the assistance being given to the LIMCOM in order for it to develop a Disaster Risk Reduction Action Plan.
Thirteen years after it was first launched, GWP’s online database IWRM ToolBox gets a facelift. It is not the first time a change is made, but it is the most radical. The new version, now integrated with the main GWP website, has more features and is easier to navigate.