Abstract:

Climate change is and will continue to impact the water resources of the Mediterranean. Studies show an increase in mean and extreme temperatures as well as changing precipitation patterns. The overall amount of precipitation is expected to decrease while the intensity of events will increase. The alteration of the precipitation pattern along with the increased evapotranspiration combined with other anthropogenic stresses, are reducing surface and ground water availability. These changes that are happening and will continue to escalate, indicate that measures need to be taken in order to continue to have water availability in the future for Eastern Mediterranean region [4]. The first step is to educate and train professionals to know how to conserve and eliminate the waste of water while considering potential climate change impacts [5]. These professionals should be able to develop water resources management plans based new and innovative approaches, tools and methods.

Through this project a new master’s program was developed with courses that provide state-of-art science, practical applications and tools while collaborating with organizations and enterprise of the water sector. This should lead to future water professionals that have the necessary scientific background, knowledgeable on new and applicable methods and tools adapted to the region.

This new master’s program developed innovative and practical courses. These courses provide an improved understanding on water resources processes and how to develop sustainable management plans. In addition, they teach new technologies and methods to students that can incorporate them in water resources management plans. Water offers many services to many different sectors that can lead to conflict among the stakeholders, making water management a very difficult task. The new courses provide a holistic prospective on water issues that will enable them to find the optimum solutions based on the specified objectives by taking into consideration all interested parties. Major emphasis in these courses will be given in understanding the principles of water resource management along with water conservation and recycling techniques. In addition, the impending climate change impacts will put more pressure on water resources. Under-standing and incorporating the potential impacts in management will be a focal point of the program (understanding climate change forecasts and learning cli-mate modeling). Overall, the purpose of the project is to develop course for countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. Another key aspect was heavily involving the people that hire water managers in developing the courses to provide the necessary tools that water professionals require to be attractive to future employers. Finally, the involvement of many different countries also led to the internalization of the master’s program.

Acknowledgment:
This publication is funded by the ERASMUS + Design Measures Project. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Keywords:

Water Management, Education, Climate Change, New and Innovative Courses, Eastern Mediterranean.