title: Is climate change a threat for water uses in the Mediterranean region? Results from a survey at local scale.
abstract: Water scarcity and water security are linked, not only through the direct effects of water shortages on each water users' access to water, but also because of water conflicts generated. Climate change is predicted to raise temperatures in the Mediterranean region and reduce rainfall, leading to a reduction in water yield and possibly worsening the situation of water resource shortages that Mediterranean regions are already experiencing. In its dissemination strategy, the EU FP7 CLIMB project addressed water security threats through an analysis of water uses and water use rivalries within a few target catchments distributed over the Mediterranean region. The present work explores whether climate change is locally perceived by stakeholders (water users and managers) as a key issue for their water uses and water security. Individual interviews, meetings, and compilation of questionnaires were conducted at five sites located in the Mediterranean region. The methodology permitted an analysis of water use and its evolution in the water management context, an identification of the state of awareness of local stakeholders and of the pressures on water use and water use rivalries, and a prioritization of water uses. Currently, the main response to increasing water demand in the Mediterranean region, while not yet considering climate change as a driving force, is a progressive externalization of water resources, with limits represented by national borders and technological possibilities. Overall, 'climate change' was not mentioned by stakeholders during both interviews and in answers to the questionnaires. Even the prospect of decreasing precipitation was not considered a relevant or threatening issue in the coming 20years. This confirms the need to continue all efforts to disseminate the state of knowledge on climate change impacts in the Mediterranean region, such as water scarcity, especially to local water managers, as initiated by various research programs of the European Commission.
authors.affiliation: University François Rabelais of Tours, UMR CNRS 7324 Citeres, 33, allée Ferdinand de Lesseps, B.P. 60449, 37204 Tours cedex 3, France; University of Angers, UMR CNRS 6554 LETG-Angers, 2 bd Lavoisier, 49045 Angers, France. Electronic address: isabelle.lajeunesse@univ-tours.fr.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: La Jeunesse
authors.affiliation: University François Rabelais of Tours, UMR CNRS 7324 Citeres, 33, allée Ferdinand de Lesseps, B.P. 60449, 37204 Tours cedex 3, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cirelli
authors.affiliation: Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de sciences politiques Louvain-Europe, Place Montesquieu 1, b(te) L2.08.07, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aubin
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Est-Créteil-Val-de-Marne, Institut d'Urbanisme de Paris, 61, avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil cedex, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Larrue
authors.affiliation: Université catholique de Louvain, Earth and Life Institute, Croix du sud 2, bte 1, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sellami
authors.affiliation: Islamic University of Gaza, Environmental & Earth Sciences Department, P.O. Box 108, Gaza, Palestine.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Afifi
authors.affiliation: University of Trento, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, Via Mesiano, 77 I-38123 Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellin
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches et des Technologies des Eaux, Technopole Borj Cedria, BP 273, Soliman 8020, Tunisia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benabdallah
authors.affiliation: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Leonhardstraße 59, A-8010 Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Bird
authors.affiliation: University of Cagliari, Faculty of Engineering, Piazza d'Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy; CINFAI, Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Fisica delle Atmosfere e delle Idrosfere, Tolentino, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deidda
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Research Agency of Sardinia (AGRIS-DIRVE), Sardinia, Viale Trieste 111, 09123 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dettori
authors.affiliation: Yildiz Technical University, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, Davutpasa, Esenler, 34220 Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Engin
authors.affiliation: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Bio- und Geowissenschaften, Agrosphäre (IBG-3), Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Department of Geography, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.affiliation: University of Zagazig, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mabrouk
authors.affiliation: University of Trento, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, Via Mesiano, 77 I-38123 Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Majone
authors.affiliation: INRS, Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490 rue de la Couronne, Quebec City G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paniconi
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Research Agency of Sardinia (AGRIS-DIRVE), Sardinia, Viale Trieste 111, 09123 Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soddu
keywords: Climate change; Mediterranean region; Rivalries; Stakeholders; Water uses