Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
but tuned to the requirements of the aquatic ecology and thus drinking water stan-
dards. Since most minimum river flows in the Mediterranean have been reduced by
70% primarily due to damming of mountain rivers, future strategies need to envis-
age a higher transmission of flow. Besides, more economic gains can be obtained
from aquatic-oriented tourist activities such as fishing or rafting. Improvements in
technology and lowering of desalination costs provide another tool in exceptional
cases for increasing water availability, especially in very touristic semi-arid to arid
regions. Minimal discharge should not be a mere statistical reflection of total flow
quantity but should be adjusted to the requirements of the aquatic ecology, particu-
larly in terms of water temperatures.
Land use and sustainable forest management is another issue of concern related
to discharge quantity. In the eastern Mediterranean, a transition has occurred from
forest to highly degraded forest patches. Should such forests be fully established
again in the context of nature reserves and forest protection plans, the discharge
in streams could be considerably reduced due to augmented evapotranspiration
by forests.
In the Mediterranean, the tourist potential of mountain areas is poorly developed
apart from winter sports. This is due to the competitive development of summer
tourism in the Mediterranean coastal zones and the effects of globalization. Alter-
natives that are less water consuming should be established. However, the differ-
ence between ecotourism and hard mountain tourism such as off-road trucks and
motorbikes and their varying impacts on the ecology should be considered. If the
Mediterranean mountain zones are to be reinstated in value, suggestions are nec-
essary for the sustainable valorization of physical and socioeconomic resources.
Strategies for regulating livestock and grazing intensity as well as tourist intensity
have to be established in order to improve the natural environment and biodiver-
sity. There should be encouragement of knowledge transfer of adaptation strate-
gies related to tourism and agriculture from other typical snow-dominated Mediter-
ranean mountain regions both within the Mediterranean Basin and globally. Lessons
could be learned from other snow-covered mountains such as the Sierra Nevada
and the Rockies in California, the southern Andes in Chile, and to some extent also
the Cape mountains in South Africa. All these mountain regions are particularly
vulnerable to climate change impacts since, apart from the hydrologically limit-
ing Mediterranean climate they are subject to comparably strong socioeconomic
pressures.
A wider, more transdisciplinary approach to adaptation strategies is required for
the future considering water use, agriculture, hydroelectricity, artificial snow pro-
duction and four-season tourism.
5.5
Conclusion
The Mediterranean mountain regions are characterized by strong seasonal and re-
gional contrasts and are facing a major scientific challenge in terms of climate
