International Drought Symposium: Integrating Science and Policy

世界许多地区长期和反复发生的干旱越来越频繁，这表明当气候变化全面爆发时会发生什么。研究人员已经认识到，各种环境问题必须在流域/河流流域一级就地解决，以便在最低决策级别纳入物理、生物和其他科学考虑因素（Kemper等人，2007年）。此外，在流域/河流流域一级采取综合多学科办法，对于理解干旱的实际影响与减轻干旱经济后果政策的效力之间的相互作用至关重要（Wilhite，2005年）。西班牙、澳大利亚、南非、墨西哥、在美国，水资源可能成为经济增长和生态可持续性的制约因素，其影响可能遍及自然、经济、文化和政治系统。有趣的是，这些国家都在使用不同的技术、经济、制度和政策措施来解决其复杂的水资源问题和反复发生的干旱。来自面临水资源短缺和干旱状况的各个国家的研究人员、政策制定者和水资源管理人员介绍并交流科学方法和经验，并讨论干旱影响和缓解在特定区域的协同作用和独特性。将从不同的学科角度分析每个国家最近发生的干旱，从而确定用于科普干旱各个方面的成功和有问题的方法。专题讨论会之后将举行一次讲习班，使该小组能够提出一项研究建议，对干旱和可变供水条件下的水管理进行比较研究。专题讨论会的这种性质将使这次专题讨论会的学术价值有所不同，专题讨论会的主要目标是从跨学科和空间（国际）角度探讨干旱问题。多学科、多国方法预计将导致对干旱的影响和应对措施有更全面的了解，并为今后更具体和详细的跨学科研究项目奠定基础。特别是，专题讨论会将（一）为科学家、决策者和水资源管理者提供一个论坛，交流与干旱有关的政策经验，（二）让公众参与这一进程，（三）在一个学术刊物上发表专题讨论会上提出的论文集。(iv)使国家工作队能够着手编写一份全面的多国比较研究提案，提交国家和国际供资。这4个组成部分将确保拟议活动产生更广泛的影响。

Prolonged and recurring droughts in many regions of the world strike with increased frequency, indicating what could be expected when climate change hits at full force. There is already an understanding among researchers that various environmental problems have to be approached locally at the watershed/river-basin level, allowing incorporation of physical, biological, and other scientific considerations at the lowest decision-making level (Kemper et al., 2007). Furthermore, a comprehensive-multidisciplinary approach at the watershed/river-basin level is fundamental in understanding interactions between physical impacts of drought and the effectiveness of mitigation policies on the economic consequences of droughts (Wilhite, 2005).Facing very similar climatic and other physical conditions, Spain, Australia, South Africa, Mexico, and parts of the United States all contain drought stricken regions where water may become a constraint to economic growth and ecological sustainability and its impacts will likely be pervasive across natural, economic, cultural, and political systems. Interestingly, each of these countries addresses its complicated water issues and recurring droughts using different technological, economic, institutional, and policy measures.The proposed international drought symposium will allow experts (researchers, policymakers, and water managers) from various countries facing water scarcity and drought conditions present and exchange scientific approaches and experiences, and discuss synergies and uniqueness of drought impacts and mitigation in specific regions. Recent droughts within each country will be analyzed from different disciplinary angles, leading to identification of both successful and problematic approaches used to cope with various aspects of the droughts. The symposium will be followed by a workshop allowing the team to initiate a research proposal for a comparative study of water management under drought and variable water supply conditions.A cross-country interdisciplinary approach would be a much more expedient to understanding the relative merits of various policy instruments than waiting for each country to explore such options and drawing conclusions from those experiences. It is this nature of the symposium that will make a difference in the intellectual merit of this symposium.The main objective of the symposium is to address drought from both an interdisciplinary and spatial (international) angles. The multidisciplinary, multi-country approach is expected to lead to a much more comprehensive understanding of the impacts and responses to drought, and to set the basis for more specific and detailed future interdisciplinary research project. In particular, the symposium will (i) provide a forum for exchange of drought related policy experiences among scientists, policy makers and water managers, (ii) allow public input and engagement in the process, and (iii) publish a volume of the papers presented in the symposium in an academic outlet. (iv) allow the country team to initiate the process of preparing a full research proposal of a comparative multi-country study to be submitted for funding both nationally and internationally. These 4 components will ensure a broader impact of the proposed activity.