KaraWAT

KaraWAT

The main objective of the KaraWAT project is to enable a clear and structured strategy for sustainable water management in the cross-border Karawanken/Karavanke UNESCO Global Geopark, due to the many challenges in the field of water management. This strategy should serve as an instrument of action for the 14 municipalities involved and generate a catalog of recommendations for measures that allow bilaterally harmonized water management procedures.

The water management strategy will be the final product of a number of transdisciplinary research methods. Innovative technologies for sustainable water management will be developed and implemented. The local population and stakeholders will be involved in a participatory process to design the strategy and to raise awareness for the relevance of sustainable water management. An interactive web-viewer will be developed for water management, and three pilot actions in the Karawanken/Karavanke UNESCO Global Geopark will be implemented.

Project partners include EVTZ Geopark Karawanken m.b.H., the UNESCO Chair for Management of Conservation Areas and the Geological Survey of Slovenia (GeoZS). These partners will work together, supported by experts from the Office of the Carinthian Provincial Government (Dep. no. 8 ‘Environment, energy and nature conservation’ and Dep. no. 12 ‘Water Management’) as well as the Water Directorate and the Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia.

The Karawanken/Karavanke UNESCO Global Geopark is one of 161 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 44 countries. These landscapes are of international significance because of their high geodiversity. Geodiversity is defined as the variety of earth materials, forms and processes that constitute and shape the Earth. They are managed with a holistic concept of nature protection, education and sustainable development. The project KaraWAT will contribute in this context to the sustainable management of water resources.

Leadpartner:
Geološki zavod Slovenije (GeoZS)

Project Partners:
EVTZ Geopark Karawanken m.b.H
Fachhochschule Kärnten – gemeinnützige Privatstiftung

Duration: 1.1.2021 – 31.8.2022
Approved ERDF contribution: 296.891,52 €