Sustainable Water Management
Water is essential to life and seemingly abundant and well-managed. Yet actually, our changing world is showing us the limitations of these assumptions. Ever more, we are beginning to realise that water, which serves us and our planet in so many ways, is highly underappreciated. That the importance of water, from many different perspectives, is not valued by all. Researchers and academics cooperating in the Sustainable Water Management programme aim to improve the quality of life by optimising water management for a clean, safe and healthy living environment.
Collaborate with us on sustainable water management
Wageningen Environmental Research develops scientific knowledge and measures based upon a sound understanding of our living environment. An integral approach towards the various water challenges is essential, and characteristic, to our work. Nature-based solutions are a key strength of our research. Our five intertwined and overlapping research topics focus on agriculture, society and governance, landscape, water quality and quantity, and deltas, covering our extensive knowledge and expertise.
Together with our research partners, such as national, regional or local governments, water authorities, foundations and private companies, we carry out fundamental research and more applied research on water management. Always striving for impact on society, addressing the challenges and questions we are facing as a society. Transforming and sustaining water systems into good, robust and future-proof elements of our living environment will help to improve the quality of life.
Read more
- Longread 'Nature-based solutions for water management'
- Spotlight: 'Draining and storing water due to climate change'
- Spotlight: 'Nature restores itself in the Marker Wadden'
Chair groups involved in this programme
Education at WUR
- Bachelor's Soil, Water, Atmosphere
- Bachelor's International Land and Water Management
- Bachelor's Environmental Sciences
- Master's Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management
- Master's Environmental Sciences
- Master's International Land and Water Management
- Master's Water Technology
- MOOC Drainage in Agriculture: controlling water and salt levels in the soil
- MOOC Agricultural Water Management: Water, Society and Technology Interactions
See also
News
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How to save a sinking city
What do Venice, Jakarta, Manilla and Bangkok have in common? They are, or were, sinking cities. Philip Minderhoud studies the causes of subsidence in... -
Hester Biemans appointed as special professor Integrated assessment of water and crop production
The Executive Board of Wageningen University & Research has appointed Hester Biemans as Special Professor of Integrated Assessment of Water and... -
Earthquakes can abruptly change the course of large rivers
A major earthquake 2,500 years ago caused one of the largest rivers on Earth to abruptly change its course, according to scientists. The study,... -
Too much ‘seasoning’ in our rivers: More water scarcity due to future pollution
Many people across the world face water scarcity. Not only because of changing availability of water, but also because of pollution. An international... -
River floods and plastics: where did the litter go when the Meuse flooded?
Plastic pollution is a global problem and Dutch rivers are no exception. Anyone who has ever walked along their banks will know the sight of bottles,...
Projects
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The Round Landscape: Landscape-driven climate adaptation - nature-inclusive and circular
Worldwide, there is growing attention for nature-based solutions as promising solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation. At the same time, the... -
Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilient and Circular Food Systems
Nature-based solutions are claimed to positively contribute to food security under climate change conditions. However, the knowledge underpinning this... -
Grow with the Flow
Water is an important resource for the Agro and Food sector. At the same time, partly due to climate change, the risk of water scarcity has increased.... -
Deltas under Pressure
Due to climate change and urban development, deltas are under pressure. Quick changes like climate change, salinization, water quality problems,... -
Multiple scales & extreme events
Research on the water-food nexus has produced a large collection of models, datasets and knowledge. For an integral analysis of transition paths...
Read our in-depth longreads
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‘We need greater water awareness’
The increased frequency of floods and droughts caused by climate change is eventually going to make the current approach to water management... -
Mekong Delta: Vietnam’s rice bowl transitions into a diverse food basket
In 1975, following the war, Vietnam faced a massive famine. With help from Wageningen, the Mekong Delta rapidly became the second-largest rice... -
Clear Water, Pure Coffee
Coffee bean cultivation in Colombia is suffering due to climate change. A lauded collaboration between Wageningen and the private sector that focused... -
Recycling water in the land of the dykes
The Netherlands is increasingly facing lengthy periods of drought due to climate change. This is leading to water shortages and salinization.... -
Nature-based solutions for water management
Across the globe, we are increasingly using nature as a model. From architecture to medicine and from energy to infrastructure, nature serves as an...