This project proposes to progress on the elaboration of a future vision of water management on the scale of a complex and highly anthropized territory: the Durance basin (13,000 sq mt). It will partly allow to update the “GICC-Rhone” project results dating of 2003, especially taking into account one of the main affluents of Rhone basin, where climate and seasons strongly mark the hydrological regime. The project will get the most recent data and methods mastered by the applicants.

Partners propose to build a faithful representation of hydrosystem’s current operating (biological and quantitative aspects) and to elaborate climate projections and territorial socio-economic scenarios in close cooperation with stakeholders involved in water management.
Main determinants (entry/exit of implemented representations) will be apprehended/described/modeled on different interlocked scales, from European scale to this basin management entities.

Moreover, there will be an integrated modeling platform of influenced hydrological regimes (taking into account management features), which will be useful in the resource/use perspective exercises.
This project will therefore allow a quantified and dynamic vision of different management scenarios established in cooperation with stakeholders. Integrated modeling works will allow supplying scientific bases to the implementation of an adaptation strategy on this territory.

This project will give the opportunity to several teams having research actions ongoing on the territory to work together and also to have operational and specialists in different fields (meteorology, hydrology, biology and economy) cooperating on applied issues.

One of the most important expected results is quantification of uncertainties, and this in order to bring out the great trends on which managers can rely to elaborate an adaptation strategy and also to test different scenarios of possible managements allowing satisfying water needs in 2050. A close interaction with stakeholders is forecasted (especially through participation in Steering Committees) in order to involve them in the building of perspective scenarios and to transfer them information and results obtained during the project.