Title of the Seminar:
Lessons to Learn from the Historical Development and Management of Water in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

Background:
Development and management of water in arid and semi-arid environment is very delicate. Without due considerations to environmental and social factors, the system developed often result in environmental degradations, particularly salinization and social turmoil. Arid countries and regions, like Iran, have accumulated wisdom on knowledge on how these complicated problems should be tackled. In the seminar, the accumulated knowledge and wisdom, based on the lessons learned from failures and mistakes, will be introduced, and approaches of establishing sustainable water development and management in arid and semi-arid regions will be discussed.

Topics to be covered:
Historical lessons and wisdom related to development and management of water in arid and semi-arid areas:
Technical issues
Institutional issues
Environmental issues
Social issues

Deadlines:
Submission of abstract (about 600 words).............. November. 30, 2006
Submission of full papers..................................... January. 20, 2007