Examples of work developed by MED researchers presented at the 10th World Water Forum

Bali, in Indonesia, was the venue for the 10th edition of the World Water Forum, which took place in May. For 8 days, representatives of states and international organisations, government officials, experts, academics, businesspeople and economists from all over the world shared their knowledge and experiences on various water-related topics.

Carla Pinto-Cruz, MED researcher and professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Évora, participated in this forum on behalf of MED researcher Ana Mendes in the session “The role of science for building capacity and dialogue across transboundary basins”.

In this session it was possible to share some of the work that has been carried out by the Water4All project team, coordinated by researcher Ana Mendes, regarding ecological restoration, with a focus on water lines and the role that researchers can play in supporting the creation and improvement of legislation dedicated to aquatic ecosystems. In particular, the Water4All project has been working to propose a global definition of ecological restoration applied to aquatic ecosystems and transboundary waters. This commitment was already launched in 2023 during the UN Water Conference in New York, in the form of the “UN Water Restoration Commitment” document. In this context, participation in this World Forum was of particular interest to consolidate the constitution of a network of experts at global level to propose a definition, in legal terms, of ecological restoration of water lines.

As well as an insight into the work carried out by the Water4All project, it was also possible to share some of the work being carried out within the framework of the China-Europe Water Platform, in which the University of Évora is a partner, coordinating the line of work on restoration, ecosystem services and biodiversity. The actions carried out are considered a good example of multidisciplinary cooperation between researchers, which has been the basis of long, close and friendly cooperation in the management of water resources between China and European countries. Highlights included pilot actions carried out by researchers from the University of Évora in the Nanxi River basin in Zhejiang, China.