Natural rainfall variability is a recurrent characteristic of Mediterranean

climate and intensive drought events have been more frequent in the last

four decades with significant damages derived from water scarcity and

low water quality at the local and national levels. In this context,

Mediterranean countries have adapted to their climate and have

extensive legislation, institutional capabilities, and technical resources to

face drought. Nevertheless in most cases a proactive drought

management based on anticipatory planning is not implemented. There is

a need to formulate plans for drought management that shift from a

reactive approach (crisis approach) to a proactive approach based on risk

analysis, adapted to the current natural and social resources and taking

into account the dynamics of the social and environmental pressures.

MEDROPLAN (www.iamz.ciheam.org/medroplan) is a Project funded by

the European Commission within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean

Regional Programme for Local Water Management. The

Project is coordinated by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of

Zaragoza (IAMZ/CIHEAM). The objectives of the MEDROPLAN Project

are to provide Guidelines for Drought Preparedness Plans and the

framework for the setting up of a Drought Preparedness Network for the

Mediterranean countries. The Guidelines have been elaborated following

a common methodology for the analysis of drought risk and drought

management and have been specifically formulated to address the

physical, socio-economic, and environmental issues of the Mediterranean

countries. The Guidelines incorporate the scientific background and

knowledge on droughts, the meteorological, agricultural and hydrological

drought aspects, their onset and end, their frequency of occurrence, water

resource availability and water demand in relation to the climate, the

water shortage observed and the impacts of water shortage caused by

droughts in the six Partner countries of the Project (Cyprus, Greece, Italy,

Morocco, Spain and Tunisia).

The Technical Annex of the MEDROPLAN Drought Management

Guidelines, that constitute the present document, compile the technical

and scientific results of the MEDROPLAN Project. They are addressed to

a specialized public, scientists and technicians interested in drought

issues and in charge of dealing with drought problems in the water

management and agricultural sectors. In the present publication, the

reader can find in-depth information on the different components which

constitute the drought planning methodology proposed by MEDROPLAN

(the planning framework, the organizational, methodological, operational

and public review components), and a compendium of examples of

application in the six Partner countries of the Project.