Aquadapt - WP 2 and 5

The overall aim of the AQUADAPT project is to generate knowledge to support strategic planning and management of water resources in semi-arid environments at catchment level under changing supply/demand patterns. The intellectual framework that underpins the project reflects recent thinking on the co-evolution of natural resource availability with human societies.

The objective of WP5 was to support the development of contemporary water management plans and policies by generating an historical perspective on the co-evolutionary relationships between societies, their activities, and natural conditions, in particular water. This was approached by obtaining an understanding of how societies and communities through the ages have responded (adapted) to changes in water supply conditions, and was followed by characterisation of the co-evolution of human settlement with water availability for specific case studies in karstic environment. IAPS's contribution to this workpackage was a land cover map generated by advanced satellite images classification, which enables the analyses of the diverse and sensitive region of Kras, and further, its monitoring.

The objective of WP2 was to expose variations in social and cultural determinants of water use at individual, family, community, and catchment levels. In particular we were interested in why and under what conditions individuals might alter or modify their water usage patterns (quantities used, quality required/accepted, and timings of use) in response to changing economic, technologic (i.e. re-use of water) conditions and demand management tools, such as price and education initiatives. We investigated the perception, attitudes and behaviour of consumers with regard to water and (water) environment and its use for domestic purposes (i.e. in households). IAPS coordinated the work related to these topics, and was also responsible for cartographic support.

The results of the overall research are presented in: MIHEVC, Andrej (ed.), 2005, Voda in življenje v kamniti pokrajini (Water and life in a rocky landscape): Kras. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC.