Water System Knowledge Innovation and its Practices in Developing Countries

November 20-22, 2017  Gorgan, Iran

This international conference aims to bring together scientists (in particular from developing countries) and various disciplines that share a common interest in addressing the challenges of understanding and managing water systems.

A special session will be held on the Caspian Sea water-related management challenges to provide a forum for more detailed discussion on an important water system and its dynamics. A one-day field trip will be organized to the southern coastal areas of the Caspian Sea and the nearby Hyrcanian forests.

The broad aims are to enhance the contribution of strategic scientific and technical research and innovation to the sustainable management of water systems, including rivers, groundwater and wetlands.

There are four main objectives for this conference:

(1)  To understand major water system problems and their root causes particularly in developing countries in coupled nature-human systems;

(2)  To demonstrate current hydrological knowledge of models, tools and case studies to deal with water system problems e.g. water scarcity, water-related disasters, groundwater depletion, water-related poverty and conflicts;

(3)  To identify demand for hydrological innovation to meet the grand water system challenges particularly IWM under the severe climate change conditions as well as under unstable policy and management conditions; and

(4)  To develop a multi-national and multi-disciplinary cooperation framework with a concrete working plan in order to provide capacity building, monitoring equipments, and free software packages and decision support systems for developing countries, and to expand Panta Rhei as well as IAHS through establishing national committees and regional networks and increasing members in these counties.

Registration fees and logistics

No registration fees will be charged, but participants are responsible for their own international flights. Conference organizers will arrange for accommodation and travelling within Iran.

Key deadlines

June 9, 2017                   First announcement of the conference
August 14, 2017              Second announcement of the conference
September 8, 2017         Deadline for collecting submissions
October 31, 2017            Last announcement with detailed conference information
November 20-22, 2017    Conference and excursion

Further information is available in the Second Announcement