The implementation of GWSP research is organized into research activities that fall under the three themes 1) magnitudes and mechanisms of change, 2) linkages and feedbacks and 3) resilience and adaptation, as well as cross-cutting activities that address issues common to all research themes, and educational and capacity building activities. The following paragraphs give an overview of the implementation activities of the GWSP.
Theme 1 - Magnitudes and Mechanisms
of Change
- A-1.1 Water Governance and the Global Water System
- A-1.2 Land Cover Changes and the Global Water System
- A-1.3 Climate Change and the Global Water System
- A-1.4 Water Diversions and the Global Water System
- A-1.5 Nutrient and Sediment Transport and the Global Water System
Theme 2 -Linkages and Feedbacks
- A-2.1 Linkages at Different Spatial Scales in the Global Water System
- A-2.2 Legacy of Human and Natural Interactions in the Global Water System
Theme 3 - Resilience and Adaptation
- A-3.1 Water Requirements for Nature and Humans
- A-3.2 The Nature of Adaptive Capacity of the Global Water System
- A-3.3 Approaches to Enhancing Adaptive Capacity (the role of institutions, governance, industrial transformation)
- A-3.4 The Provision of Ecosystem Goods and Services by the Global Water System
Cross-Cutting Research Activities
- A-4.1 Building the GWSP Information Base
- A-4.2 The GWS-Discourse: Integrating the Natural Science and Socal Science Approaches to the Global Water System
- A-4.3 Developing World Water Models and Scenarios
Synthesis, Capacity Building and
Education
- Cooperation with START and other programs in order to reach larger scientific community and society-at-large
- Synthesis of information in form of “assessment reports” and other synthesizing documents and materials
- Capacity building activities such as training and research workshops for young scientists, development of new university curricula, production of innovative we-based teaching packages.
Dialogue with Stakeholders and Policy
Makers
- Workshops and meetings
- Joint “White Papers” on pressing water issues co-written with stakeholders
- Collaboration with existing multi-stakeholder networks
- Representation of stakeholder interests on the GWSP steering committee
Cooperation with Other Research Efforts
The GWSP will actively seek cooperation with programs and organizations whose interests overlap with those of the GWSP. The types of organizations will include:
- National programs on water research
- International water-related research programs sponsored by DIVERSITAS, IGBP, IHDP, and WCRP.
- Other international research programs related to water problems,
- Organizations sponsoring international assessments and policy studies of global water issues.
Products of the GWSP
- Consolidation of disparate efforts at studying the global aspects of water resources into a unified, dynamic research program.
- Broadened knowledge about important changes in the global water system and their mechanisms.
- New understanding about the linkages and feedbacks that characterize the global water system and a greater competency to anticipate non-linear changes in the system.
- Greater comprehension of factors determining the resilience and adaptive capability of the global water system.
- New sets of indicators that increase the ability of society to monitor and anticipate changes in the global water system.
- New numerical models for understanding the current global water system and anticipating its future states.
- A vastly improved knowledge base about the global water system with practical tools such as the GWSP database which will be made widely available for supporting global water research.
- A better informed public and scientific community about the importance of the global dimensions of the water cycle on local and regional water problems.
|
