The OurMED Summer School on “Participatory Processes and Environmental Conflict Mediation in Social-Ecological Systems” took place this week in Arborea, Sardinia, one of the project’s demonstration sites. The event gathered project partners and participants from related initiatives such as NextGen4MED, to exchange knowledge and experiences on sustainability challenges in the Mediterranean.
On 8 September 2025, at the Giornate dell’idrologia 2025 of the Italian Hydrological Society at Politecnico di Bari, our project partner University of Parma presented the latest results of the OurMED project, funded by the PRIMA programme.
On 9 August 2025, the Fourth Meeting of the Mujib Basin National Committee was held at the Landmark Hotel in Amman, gathering representatives from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Municipalities, the Jordan Valley Authority, Mutah University, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, and various experts and stakeholders in the water sector.
From July 23 to 26, 2025, Living Planet Morocco represented the OurMED project at the Ifrane International Festival, one of Morocco's major cultural and environmental events. This was an opportunity to raise awareness among a wide audience about nature conservation, sustainable water management, and ecosystem protection.
Throughout the festival, Living Planet Morocco ran a booth on water and natural resource conservation in the Ifrane region and the Sebou basin. The exhibition, which attracted locals, young people, international visitors, institutions, NGOs, academics, and businesses, highlighted OurMED's actions through educational and interactive materials presenting nature-based solutions, community engagement, and scientific approaches to protecting water and biodiversity.
On July 26, as part of the scientific seminar “Forests and Water Resources: A Vital Balance to Preserve,” a presentation was given on sustainable water management in apple orchards in mountainous areas, based on the experience of Dayet Aoua. The presentation highlighted innovative techniques for optimizing water use, strengthening climate resilience, and preserving water sources.
This participation strengthened OurMED's local visibility, promoted dialogue with many stakeholders, and confirmed its commitment to nature-based solutions and science-based policies.
The OurMED project was represented at the international conference of the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), held from 24 to 28 June 2025 in Palermo, Italy, under the theme “New challenges in understanding and managing water-related risks in a changing environment.”
Since the end of May 2025, Albufera Lagoon has been undergoing a brownification event, a phenomenon characterized by a noticeable darkening of surface waters. This change, clearly captured by recent Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, shows elevated NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) values, which are closely linked to increased chlorophyll concentrations in surface waters. The timing of this event aligns with a period of rising temperatures and prolonged lack of precipitation, raising concerns among environmental scientists and local stakeholders.
