Das Projekt "Themenbereich: Wasserbezogene Vulnerabilitäten und Risiken im südlichen Afrika (Wassernutzung)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung (ISOE) GmbH durchgeführt. The current processes of global change are an enormous challenge for societies worldwide. The SASSCAL is a joint initiative of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Germany, responding to the challenges of global change. Aim and Scope: SASSCAL will improve the capacities to provide sound science-based solutions for current problems and future risks in the region, in particular regarding climate change and the associated demands concerning land management practices of local players. To this end, the centre will contribute to strengthening existing and developing new capacities for application-oriented scientific research and science-policy consultations on climate change, adapted land-use and sustainable development in the region. SASSCAL will support national, regional and local institutions and service providers to develop relevant advisory and implementation skills. It will have a regional scope and the work of the Centre will be defined in partnership with the respective scientific communities, the users of science products, policy-makers, and decision-makers. Research: SASSCAL intends to cover a variety of research issues in state-of-the-art climate change and land management research, responding to the regional definition of needs and demands. The task of the ISOE project team is to analyse to what extent water-related vulnerabilities and risks for the population and ecosystems are developing within the context of global change and how these might conceivably be reduced. Research approach: Many natural and social processes mutually influence water resources in the southern part of Africa. Climate change and changes in land use, as well as population and economic growth act as localised forms of global change on the current and future state of the resource and as such influence peoples living conditions. The project team is developing a vulnerability and risk analysis for the catchment area of the Cuvelai-Basin in northern Namibia and southern Angola. First the 'status quo and expected trends in patterns of water demand are being studied, differentiated according to spatial and social characteristics and with the help of social-empirical surveys, consultations with experts and mapping. Using this as a starting point, researchers calculate water demand and availability in order to discover the water supplys vulnerabilities and risks for the population and ecosystems. The aim is to identify areas of relevance for decision-makers which are particularly threatened by supply gaps and their consequences (hot spot areas). Next the researchers will be developing supportive measures for an adapted and integrated management of water resources. usw.