Abstract (eng)
This thesis is devoted to the water footprint and the virtual water trade as tools in Integrated Water Resources Management. The aim is to contribute to a more sustainable utilization of water resources and to reduce poverty. The thesis is based on a literature review.
At the beginning, this thesis is devoted to the correlation between poverty and water resources. Meeting the upcoming challenges, enhanced strategies are inevitable to foster sustainable water resources use, bearing in mind human needs and the water requirement of ecosystems. Therefore, it is important to introduce respectively discuss the theories and concepts of Integrated Water Resources Management, water footprint and virtual water trade first, as a basis for further analysis. Based on that, the role of water footprint and virtual water trade as tools of Integrated Water Resources Management will be analyzed in terms of the feasibility of an integration. The function of water footprint as an analytical tool will be examined in detail. The aim of this combination is to use water resources in an ecological, social and economical more sustainable manner. Thereof, especially socially deprived classes of population should benefit mostly, in order to alleviate poverty.
The water footprint as a demand-oriented analytical tool constitutes an enrichment for Integrated Water Resources Management and in a combination with Integrated Water Resources Management the water footprint is able to contribute to a more ecological sustainable, social equitable and economical efficient use of water resources. In course of that it makes a contribution to poverty reduction. The virtual water trade is not a proper tool for Integrated Water Resources Management, especially not for developing countries.