Negotiated River Basin Management Implementing the Danube Declaration
Abstract
During the past few years there has been a growing international concern about environmental and socio-economic impacts and conflicts associated with the use of transboundary water resources in general, and also with the use of international rivers in particular. The Decision Support Systems for Managing Large International Rivers Project (LIR) was launched at IIASA to address at least some of the crucial issues regarding the management of large international rivers. The project aims to provide methodological and technical assistance towards collaborative efforts of countries. river basin commissions and international agencies. Its scope is vast involving research in many fields. including political sciences.
The author presents an extensive and interesting analysis of problems of the Danube, which is one of the two case studies being dealt with in LIR. The other case study is the Zambezi River in Africa. The approach is rather unfamiliar to professionals of physical and technological problems in shared river basins. It does not mean that this work is not for such professionals, on the contrary, for the facts and mechanisms described here should rather help in establishing cooperation in improving the water quality of the Danube. We hope that this work will lead to constructive discussions that are necessary not only in the case of the Danube to establish mechanisms and organizations to improve and harmonize the utilization of water resources in shared river basins.
The author presents an extensive and interesting analysis of problems of the Danube, which is one of the two case studies being dealt with in LIR. The other case study is the Zambezi River in Africa. The approach is rather unfamiliar to professionals of physical and technological problems in shared river basins. It does not mean that this work is not for such professionals, on the contrary, for the facts and mechanisms described here should rather help in establishing cooperation in improving the water quality of the Danube. We hope that this work will lead to constructive discussions that are necessary not only in the case of the Danube to establish mechanisms and organizations to improve and harmonize the utilization of water resources in shared river basins.