Abstract
Mountain regions of the world are experiencing multiple pressures from climate change and anthropogenic activities. While climate change is driving variations in water availability, increases in water demands due to societal dynamics (e.g., urbanization and agriculture expansion) can make societies vulnerable to future impacts in case of reduced water availability. The interaction of biophysical and socio-economic factors makes water management complex especially in areas with limited capacity for sustainable water management. As such, identifying and characterizing the main water user demands, their upstream-downstream interactions and future development are therefore, fundamental to prepare effective adaptation strategies for future conditions. Within this context, the AquaMount project (financed by the Provincia autonoma di Bolzano-Alto Adige – Ripartizione
Innovazione, Ricerca e Università) aims to support decision-making processes in water management within the context of changing climate- and socio-economic conditions. Focusing on the Noce river catchment (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy) and the Maloti-Drakensberg area (South Africa/Lesotho), the AquaMount project carries out comparative analyses and supports a better comprehension of the vulnerability factors affecting water demand in the two mountain areas. Participatory activities with key water users aim to characterize their current water demands from upstream water-producing areas to downstream water-demanding areas.
Stakeholders’ knowledge and opinions are integrated for the development of Local Shared Socioeconomic Pathways to explore future trends of water demands that could affect the levels of exposure and increase vulnerability to water scarcity conditions. The results will pinpoint the main factors involved in upstream-downstream water relations and map water demand hotspots in order to inform effective and long-lasting adaptation strategies to deal with water scarcity conditions.