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Water - a key security asset 9. The South Caucasus Cooperative River Monitoring Project Contents   1. Water - a key security asset   2. Security through Science  3. Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society  4. Countering the environmental degradation of the Black Sea  5. Wetlands restoration in the Aral Sea  6. Artemia production in the salt water of the Aral Sea  7. Real-time monitoring of the Nistru and Prut rivers  8. Pilot studies on water management  9. The South Caucasus Cooperative River Monitoring Project Editorial Note   Important publisher and editorial information about this document Other Formats English PDF (~640Kb) Printable version with colour illustrations Order a hardcopy version using the online order form. In spring 2003, the South Caucasus Cooperative River Monitoring project was launched by NATO's Science for Peace sub-programme, in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It aimed to establish a social and technical infrastructure that could monitor the water quality and quantity of transboundary rivers and ease data-sharing between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Water supply and pollution problems affect the Kura and Araks rivers in the region, which is heavily reliant on river resources for social and economic development. Maintaining high-quality fresh water resources helps to avoid water disputes that have the potential to intensify political and ethnic instability. It is therefore important to gather information on the ecological state of water resources. This not only contributes to the general development of countries of the South Caucasus, but it also plays a significant role for the conduct of specific projects such as the construction of oil and gas pipelines and the Europe-Caucasus-Asia transport corridor, which are dependent on this type of data. One Minute Interview Professor Freddy Adams, co-director of the South Caucasus Cooperative River Monitoring project How does river monitoring in the Caucasus promote security in the region? All water flows eventually into the sea and man-made borders cannot stop it from taking its course. With a common river system flowing through the three Caucasus countries, applied research on water resources with the eventual aim of systematic monitoring and common management of the joint river system is an important subject for cooperation. Security is generated by trust, and mutual trust is most readily generated by actively working together on important future-oriented problems in areas of common interest. The water management of the Caucasus river systems on the basis of objective scientific collaboration is undoubtedly an important item of common interest and a good choice for building up confidence for a common future. It might lead the way to other symbiotic ways of cooperation. For more information: NATO Programme for Security through Science: http://www.nato.int/science/index.html Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society: http://www.nato.int/ccms/index.html ENVSEC reports: http://www.envsec.org Water resources and security: http://www.nato.int/science/issues/water-security.htm Integrated water management: http://www.nato.int/ccms/pilot-studies/IWM/iwm-index.htm Ecosystem modelling of coastal lagoons for sustainable management: http://www.nato.int/ccms/pilot-studies/emcl/emcl-index.htm

© NATO - OTAN 2005 -	NATO Public Diplomacy Division 1110 Brussels, Belgium, web site: www.nato.int e-mail: natodoc@hq.nato. int