Drought in the Mediterranean: WWF Policy Proposals

In the last few years, several regions in Europe have been affected by drought. The drought of 2005 was the worst for large parts of the continent but was especially bad in the Mediterranean region. In 2006, drought affects the major part of Spain and Portugal and large parts of the United Kingdom, Italy and France. Droughts are estimated to become worse and more frequent in the light of global climate change. Therefore, essential shifts in policy are required to be prepared for drought events and prevent situations of chronic water scarcity. WWF report "Drought in the Mediterranean: WWF Policy Proposals" intends to make clear the urgent need of good water management practices in the Mediterranean in light of increasing drought. It compiles key available data and gives an overview over the situation of Mediterranean countries concerning the water resource situation and trends. The report covers the Mediterranean as wide as possible yet may not always reflect the whole region due to limited data availability. Most data is taken from the countries where the WWF is active.