Purpose | Vision | Research | Education

Freshwater resources comprise only about 2.5% of all the water on Earth. Much of this water, however, is not readily available for human use, being tied up in the form of ice and glaciers, or deep underground beyond easy reach. The quantity of water readily available for human use, therefore, is less than 1% of the planet’s water resources. If all the water on Earth could be placed in a one-gallon (3.85 liter) bottle, the readily-available portion would represent approximately that which would fit in a tablespoon.   Ironically, this fraction is sufficient to meet all present and foreseeable human needs.   At the same time, however, nature is fickle in its distribution of freshwater resources, both spatially and temporally, meaning that needed water resources may not be available where or when most needed. Its scarcity threatens global food supplies and the state of human health in many regions of the world. It is estimated, for example, that 1/3 of all humans currently live under conditions of water stress. This proportion will increase to 2/3 by the year 2025, if present water use trends continue.

 

The reality is that water resources are:

·         Finite – all the water on Earth is all the water there is;

·         Sensitive – water resources are easily degraded by human activities; and

·         Irreplaceable – unlike other natural resources, there are no substitutes for water in all its uses.

 

Against this background, the Center will encourage and facilitate research from all relevant disciplines, and apply it as appropriate in the development of integrated, holistic approaches to water resources management, particularly at the drainage-basin scale. It will particularly focus on how to identify, acquire, analyze and utilize information and data on the scientific and technical aspects (which fundamentally define the location and state of water resources) and the socio-economic aspects (which fundamentally control how humans use these resources) of integrated water resources management. The goal will be to develop realistic, practical and understandable management approaches to ensure the sustainable use of aquatic resources, including transboundary water systems, both to meet human and ecosystem water needs. Equally important will be the widespread dissemination of these approaches to water managers and decision-makers, in order to facilitate sound management and policy decisions.