Water scarcity, as a result of decreasing water availability and varies aspects related to insufficient/inadequate management practices, represents a particular problem on Mediterranean islands. While the availability, demand and distribution of water on each island are determined by specific conditions, there are a number of attributes common to all Mediterranean islands. This calls for the formulation of generic solutions to the above mentioned problems. Such solutions are particularly pertinent in the context of the EU Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD) and its implementation.

Addressing water management on Mediterranean islands requires a holistic, interdisciplinary approach. However, endurable solutions will only be found through recommendations and/or regulations that are based on mutually agreed principles between the stakeholders involved. This requires a stakeholder-based participatory process that builds on the results of scientific investigations on the one hand and on the consent of major stakeholders on the other. These requirements are also pertinent in addressing vulnerabilities to droughts and reduced water availability on these islands. Such vulnerability has at least three components/aspects/facets. The first component relates to the physical aspects of water supply, i.e., the already detectable decrease in precipitation rates throughout the Mediterranean Basin and increasing evaporation, which are likely to increase due to global climate change. This has led to reduced recharge rates for the aquifers, which have –at the same time- been increasingly exploited, primarily for irrigation. The second vulnerability component/facet relates to the economic dimensions of water use. Irrigation still accounts for the most extensive consumption of water on the islands, while the economic output from agriculture has decreased in importance. The third vulnerability component refers to societal/political issues that comprise on the one hand institutional/administrative procedures (or the lack thereof) and on the other problems related to the traditions/customs of water use and the stakeholders’ perception of water availability and demand.

The paper will discuss these three components of vulnerability and will present concrete examples. The paper will also explain the major research strategies employed in MEDIS, an EU-funded research project (EVK1-CT-2001-00092) aimed to address these aspects and will present some of the results after the first two years of the project.