Resource management in water short basins

At present, one of the key issues related to water resources is the sustainable management of basins that are marked with water scarcity. The paper presented introduces the case of the Gediz River Basin along the Aegean coast of Turkey as an example where significant efforts are spent to manage the natural resources of the basin (both water and land) in an integrated and sustainable manner. Along with the hydrology and water use patterns within the Basin, the paper focuses on legal, policy and institutional patterns that influence how the Basin is governed and managed. The study is intended to reflect on problems experienced in integrated management of water-short basins where institutional, legal and environmental factors introduce major constraints.