The availability of water resources in Mediterranean countries is characterized by uneven spatio-temporal distribution and is heavily affected by agricultural intensification, necessity to sustain the rapid population growth, and extensive tourism in coastal areas.
Sustainable aquifer-based solutions are needed to store water between seasons in order to fulfil optimal water provisions for food security, domestic supply and preservation of natural groundwater-dependent ecosystems.
AGREEMAR proposes an integrated and coordinated methodology to assess and map the feasibility of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in the Mediterranean basin and safeguard its success through the implementation of an adaptive governance framework. This will be achieved through:
Development of a methodology for the selection of feasible locations for MAR application based on the integration of demand for groundwater-dependent services, conventional and non-conventional water sources, and intrinsic hydrogeological conditions.
Validation of the feasibility maps through numerical models at watershed and local scale to assess the improvements in reliability, vulnerability and resilience provided by the inclusion of MAR schemes in water management schemes.
Development of a general participatory governance framework at regional level and implementation of co-created location-specific agreements for MAR benefits sharing endorsed by cross-sectoral stakeholder groups.
Implementation of a participative multi-actor approach for fostering the engagement of stakeholders from different societal sectors and actor groups in all stages of project development.
The AGREEMAR project is funded by the National Funding Agencies from Germany, Cyprus, Portugal and Spain under the PRIMA program, the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area.
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The project methodology will be demonstrated at four sites from Tunisia, Cyprus, Portugal and Spain. All regions selected are vulnerable to climate change effects and face intense groundwater exploitation for agriculture and tourism with significant declines of groundwater levels and seawater intrusion impacts.
Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is a nature-inspired solution that aims at intentionally recharging the aquifers with surface water for later use or environmental benefits. One of the main characteristics of MAR is that it provides for water storage in the subsurface in comparison with conventional storage in big surface reservoirs.
On 21 November 2023, PRIMA Foundation organised a meeting of all projects funded through the PRIMA Call 2021 and 2022 from both Section 1 and Section 2 funding lines. The meeting was organised in Sitges, south of Barcelona, Spain and brought over 70 project coordinators and consortium members with PRIMA Project Officers and members of the PRIMA Secretariat Team. Dr …
On Friday, 17 November 2023, the UPV team of the AGREEMAR project met with the Water Commissary and the Hydrological Planning Office of the Júcar Basin Authority to validate the MAR feasibility maps and their weighting coefficients. UPV team met on 17 November 2023 with the Water Commissary and the Hydrological Planning Office of the Júcar Basin Authority to validate …
On 13 November 2023, INAT team met the representatives of the Tunisian Association of Nature and Environment Protection (ATPNE). The NGO has the objective of contributing to nature and environment protection in CapBon peninsula in general and specifically in the Korba region. ATPNE Korba is active in dealing with the biodiversity of Korba lagoon and it is one of the …
On 25 October 2023, Prof. Joaquín Andreu, PI of the UPV team in the AGREEMAR project, was honored with the National Civil Engineering Award 2023, delivered by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda. The Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, has presented the award to Professor Andreu for his brilliant professional career (photo: IIAMA) His …
From 16 to 18 October 2023, the Division of Water Sciences at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences organised the International Riverbank Filtration Conference. The conferences offered a great opportunity to present the latest developments of the web-based groundwater modelling platform INOWAS. Dr. Jana Glass presented the groundwater modelling platform during the International Riverbank Filtration Conference in Dresden, 16-18 October …
On 18 October 2023, the final MAR feasibility maps developed by the AGREEMAR team at LNEC (improved after discussion with APA/ARH-Alentejo on 27 July 2023 meeting) were presented to the main regional stakeholder at the demo region in Portugal, the Water Authority of Alentejo (APA/ARH-Alentejo). Presentation of MAR feasibility maps in Portugal to the Water Authority of Alentejo on 18 October …
Sarah Eisenreich defended her Master’s thesis on 27 September 2023 On 27 September 2023 we had the first defence of a Master’s within the framework of the AGREEMAR project. Sarah Eisenreich graduated the Master programme on Hydrology at the Department of Hydrosciences of TU Dresden. Her graduation thesis was entitled “A participatory approach for MAR feasibility mapping considering physical and …
Between 7-8 September 2023, the AGREEMAR consortium met in Valencia, Spain for the second annual project meeting. The event included one day of workshops and one day of field trips and was organised by the project partners at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). Group photo of AGREEMAR team members and local stakeholders at Algar reservoir near Valencia, Spain, 8 …
Online workshop for the validation of feasibility maps in Cyprus The outcomes of the multi-criteria decision analysis, along with the assumptions/limitations applied to derive the feasibility maps, were discussed with the key stakeholders, particularly members of the Geological Survey and Water Development Department, on 30 August 2023. A step-by-step description of the proposed methodology, the classification of the physical criteria for …
On 27 July 2023, the MAR feasibility maps developed by the AGREEMAR team at LNEC were discussed and validated in a meeting with the main regional stakeholder at the demo region in Portugal, the Water Authority of Alentejo (APA Alentejo). Representatives from LNEC and APA Alentejo met on 27 July 2023 in Évora to discuss and validate the MAR feasibility …
