Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), a Holistic Approach to Sustainable Water Management

Dear Colleagues,

Water is a scarce natural resource, essential for life and for the vast majority of economic activities; it is irreplaceable, not expandable by the mere will of man, irregular in its way of presenting itself in time and space, easily vulnerable, and susceptible to successive uses. Only 3.5% of the earth's water is fresh, but of this percentage, 70% is in glaciers and polar caps. The remaining 30% is found in the subsoil, wells or aquifers. Only 1% of the earth's freshwater flows through river basins in the form of streams and rivers. It is, therefore, a limited resource, whose demand, according to the forecasts of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), will skyrocket globally to 55% between the years 2000 and 2050.

Conflicts over competition for water use are likely to increase as societies grapple with social, economic, and political challenges, especially compounded by climate change. In this scenario, the sustainable management of water resources is a key priority to meet the growing demand for water and to achieve a safe and sustainable supply. The Integrated Water Resources Management is understood as a process that promotes the development and coordinated management of water, land, and related resources in order to maximize economic and social well-being in an equitable way and without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems in the future.

The objectives and scope of this Special Issue are very broad. Manuscripts presenting cutting-edge research on Integrated Water Resources Management (conceptual and/or empirical works) from all areas of knowledge are welcome. Research that addresses the following specific topics, without excluding others directly related to them, is of interest:

• Water Resources Systems
• Integrated Water Modeling
• Water Monitoring
• Water Protection and Management
• Water Resources Planning
• Adaptive Management
• Water Demand Management
• Water Economics
• Water-Saving Strategies Assessment (WSSA)
• Drought Management
• Groundwater Depletion
• Urban Water Management
• Water Management and Economics Sector
• Water Allocation
• Water Quality
• Water Use and Sustainable Development
• Water Markets
• Water Footprint
• Emerging Contaminants of Water
• Wastewater, Management, Recycling, and Water Reuses
• Wastewater Decontamination
• Other relevant topics related to the subject.

In summary, this Special Issue invites the submission of articles examining trends and initiatives in Integrated Water Resources Management, employing original methodologies and offering interesting empirical insights and novel theoretical contributions.

Prof. Dr. José Álvarez-García
Prof. Amador Durán-Sánchez
Prof. Dr. María de la Cruz del Río-Rama
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.