This event is part of the World Water Week 2017
Forests have a pivotal role for sustainable water supply in many ways. In drier climates, wastewater treatment can benefit from forests and forest can benefit from the use of treated wastewater. Treated wastewater is generally returned to waterways downstream, eventually entering our oceans. But what if forests were part of the water treatment process – returning water upstream to be filtered through natural processes and to recharge groundwater and aquifers to be used again?
The Sub-Saharan Africa case will illustrate the need for innovative water management solutions. About 40% of this continent is semi-arid or dry sub-humid, the population is projected to grow from 1 billion to 3 billion this century and climate change as well as ecosystem degradation creates major water shocks.
Successful examples from Egypt, USA, India and Australia – where wastewater is recirculated and cost- efficiently used to irrigate forests – will be used to forward the discussion on water management solutions in areas facing daunting water challenges. The increasing requirement of rural and peri-urban landscapes to be “multi-functional” and meet both commercial production needs, fulfill conservation targets and address socio economic needs of local stakeholders will set the frame for an interactive dialogue between organizers, invited speakers and the audience.