Introductory comments by UNESCO IHP

Erosion and sedimentation processes and management in catchments, river systems and reservoirs have reached global importance. The socio-economic and environmental impacts of erosion and sedimentation processes in river basin management are significant. Regrettably, it is estimated that over 50% of the world抯 reservoir storage capacity could be lost due to sedimentation within the next few decades. The situation is particularly severe in most of the developing countries. Accordingly, sediment management practices should be improved; even though various sediment transport models are at our disposal today, the inadequacy of knowledge about sediment production processes hinders practical progress in addressing problem-solving. The issue calls for integrated solutions where land-use management and water management are not decoupled.

The International Sediment Initiative (ISI) has been launched by UNESCO as a major activity of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP), with the aim to support the solving of sediment-related problems. IHP created ISI as a vehicle to foster international cooperation in handling regional sediment problems and in identifying local solutions. ISI also intends to promote international information exchange and to provide direct access to policy makers in Member States while encouraging scientific and professional communities in all regions and countries concerned. Focus was initially brought into the realization of a first Global Evaluation of Sediment Transport (GEST), the setting up of a global erosion and sediment information system and the review of erosion and sediment-related research worldwide. The initiative now aims to implement case studies for river basins as demonstration projects and, of course, educational and capacity-building efforts for sustainable sediment management.

ISI is open to collaboration with all interested institutions, international, regional or national associations and networks. As far as Europe is concerned, SedNet is certainly one of the first and most enthusiastic partners to have joined in and developed with us a fruitful cooperation. One of the results is the creation of a Danube Working Group. It involves the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), SedNet and IHP partners in the region that committed to draft and support a roadmap towards advice on the implementation of sediment management in the Danube WFD River Basin Management Plan. The annual SedNet conference hosted by the UNESCO Office in Venice in November 2006 laid the ground for a series of catchmentoriented roundtable discussions ?one of which was devoted to the Danube with concrete proposals to be further developed in 2007?008. One proposal supported by the UNESCO Office in Venice will lead to the establishment of a first sediment balance of the Danube River by the end of 2008.

UNESCO IHP very warmly welcomes the publication, within the SedNet series of books, of the present work dedicated to 揝ediment Management at the River Basin Scale? including a contribution from ICPDR and ISI on the Danube River, the most complex and challenging river basin in Europe. There is no doubt that this publication will be essential reading to all those concerned with sediment-related issues within the larger framework of Integrated River Basin Management in Europe.

I would like, therefore, to express my warmest thanks to SedNet, all authors and all those who have provided the necessary support to guarantee the success of this publication. UNESCO IHP, for its part, shall do its best to facilitate and promote its dissemination among the widest audience possible.

Andras Szollosi-Nagy

Deputy Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences

Secretary of the International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO