Overview

River deltas are a critical coastal habitat, however, they are facing continuous threats such as increased erosion, flooding risk, and shrinking salt marshes and mangroves. This has become a global problem which requires international cooperation to find solutions. The Mega-Delta Programme will study the present status and threats facing 25 globally representative deltas, create methodologies for new blueprints including critical characteristics and the sustainability of the delta system and their capacity to support regional development for deltas having different physical processes and ecological and economic value. The overall objective of the programme is to support sustainable development in delta regions.

Duration: 01/01/2021 - 12/31/2030

Decade Challenges Addressed

CHALLENGE 2: Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity

CHALLENGE 6: Increase community resilience to ocean hazards

CHALLENGE 9: Skills, knowledge and technology for all

Priority Activities (first 2 years)

• Stimulate interactions with experts and collect information from 15 representative deltas to establish a baseline inventory on the status and threats

• Share knowledge on the results through special publications

• Organize an International Conference on Estuaries and Coasts (ICEC2021)

• Organize an International Conference on Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas (PECS2022)

• Create an eventual road map for sustainable delta development which considers climate change, geoscience, engineering, ecology, and society at the global and centennial scales