Implementation of a services network for the study, protection, enhancement and sustainable management of water on a local and regional scale in an Alpine cross-border territory
In some seasons of the year, the Alps supply the lowlands with up to 90 percent of water in Europe. The water that comes from the Alps is therefore a strategic resource for maintaining adequate living conditions for the European populations and for the numerous activities and socio-economic chains deriving from it. In recent years, this precious heritage is increasingly threatened: drought and deterioration of quality are just some of the consequences of the demographic increase and the impacts related to the different activities of man. To counter the threats to water resources, the Swiss and Italian partners analyzed the cross-border territorial context and identified some critical issues. The RESERVAQUA project intends to respond to these critical issues, setting as a common challenge the development of an integrated management strategy for mountain regions and rural areas in order to guarantee sustainable use and qualitative protection of the Alpine water resource for the future, also for the benefit of plains. To address this challenge, 3 specific objectives have been identified in the project: - improvement of knowledge on the availability and effective use of water resources, also through the harmonization of existing databases; - dissemination of a "water culture", through the use of innovative techniques; - development of policy tools for water resource management.