Standing up to Climate Change: Creating Prospects for a Sustainable Future in Rural Iran

In Iran, climate change combined with low adaptation capacity has an unparalleled impact on eco-systems as well as human livelihoods. The Roodasht region, in the lower part of the Zayandeh Rud basin in Central Iran, is severely affected by water scarcity, desertification and land degradation. This book describes the effects this has on the environment and society, analyzes the degree of vulnerability and suggests possible ways to improve land and water management. 

This book provides comprehensive and interdisciplinary insights into the environmental and social situation in the region, as well as possible solutions to deal with the current challenges. Written by German and Iranian scientists, NGO staff and government officials and bridging the gap between research and practical implementation, the book not only enhances our understanding of climate change and desertification, but also raises public awareness and promotes knowledge transfer between disciplines.

Dr. Shahrooz Mohajeri is the managing director of the inter 3 Institute for Resource Management in Berlin and the IWRM Zayandeh Rud project leader. Born in Isfahan and educated in Iran and Germany, he is an internationally recognized expert on sustainable resource management, with a focus on technological, economic and political feasibility. Dr. Mohajeri has been promoting scientific and business cooperation between Iran and Germany for more than 15 years. He is also a member of the German Water Partnership board and the leader of GWP’s Iran section.

Lena Horlemann is a researcher at the inter 3 Institute for resource management and one of the IWRM Zayandeh Rud project coordinators. She holds a master’s degree in Southeast Asian Studies and Agronomy and has experience in the field of includes global governance and development cooperation. She has worked on environmental and water management issues for more than 10 years, including in IWRM projects in Mongolia and now Iran. Her research focuses on social and institutional aspects of IWRM implementation.

Dr. Ali A. Besalatpour is a former Assistant Prof. of Soil and Water sciences at the Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Iran. He holds a Ph.D. in the field of Integrated Water Resource Management and Modeling (2011). He has published several articles and papers in various journals and books, and presented papers at national and international conferences. He is currently a researcher at the inter 3 Institute for Resource Management, working on the IWRM Zayandeh Rud project.

Wolf Raber is a scientist at the inter 3 Institute for Resource Management. He has served a consultant for several projects, including the German Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit’s (GIZ) Integrated Water Management program in Morocco. Currently, he is working on the IWRM Zayandeh Rud project . Raber holds degrees in International Land and Water Management, and Environmental Engineering, from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and  the Technical University of Berlin, respectively.