Historical Water Management

This doctoral project aims to analyze water management and historical water management strategies in semi-arid to arid regions, with a special focus on Spain and Jordan.

For this purpose, interactions of natural-environmental and socio-economic factors are comprehensively analyzed. This is undertaken to gain knowledge of the local historical development as well as technical and administrative water management strategies at the Vega of Vélez Blanco (SE Spain) and the rural hinterland Petra (S Jordan).

Main research questions are:

• Which factors influence the stability of local water management within Mediterranean regions?
• Under which climate conditions is irrigation in (semi-)arid environments profitable – and over which periods of time did it function?
• Is the installation and operation of irrigation structures only profitable in areas with superregional importance?

This dissertation project was successfully completed within theResearch Group A-3 Water Management of the Excellence Cluster 264 Topoi.

[see also: http://www.topoi.org/project/a-3-5-1/ ]