{"id":9674,"date":"2025-12-31T09:11:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T09:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/androsresearchcenter.org\/?p=9674"},"modified":"2025-12-31T09:17:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T09:17:35","slug":"shared-waters-the-andros-research-center-in-an-international-working-group-on-water-as-intangible-cultural-heritage-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/androsresearchcenter.org\/en\/sharedwaters\/","title":{"rendered":"Shared Waters: The Andros Research Center in an International Working Group on Water as Intangible Cultural Heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Ca\u2019 Foscari University of Venice organized a scientific meeting on December 15\u201317 in Caorle, Venice, bringing into dialogue researchers and institutions from Europe and beyond, united by a common focus on water as a shared natural and cultural good and as a foundation of social resilience.
The Andros Research Center actively participated in the meeting, following an invitation from Ca\u2019 Foscari University, as part of the planning of a joint international initiative with partners from Europe, South America, and Asia, entitled Shared Waters<\/strong>.<\/p>

The initiative focuses on the contemporary use of intangible cultural heritage related to water, the strengthening of social resilience, and the shaping of modern policies for water resource management. Within the scientific program, the Andros Research Center presented a living example of intangible cultural heritage that remains in operation today: the traditional communal management of water springs on Andros.<\/p>

A Meeting on Water as a Common Good<\/h3>

During the scientific sessions, pilot research projects were presented from diverse geographical and cultural contexts: from water collection and transport in maritime settings, nutrition in coastal communities of India, and biodiversity cultivation in Mexico, to traditional herbal knowledge in Baltic wetlands and irrigation systems in mountainous regions of Switzerland.<\/p>

Within this international mosaic of practices, the case of Andros stood out as an example of a European island landscape where water continues to be shared collectively, based on rules rooted centuries in the past.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Andros Research Center Presentation: Springwater Sharing in Andros<\/em><\/h3>

The Andros Research Center, represented by Olga Karagianni and Dimitra Pappa, presented its research and actions related to the traditional management and distribution of spring water on Andros.<\/p>

As the northernmost and one of the most mountainous islands of the Cyclades, Andros has a unique hydrological and ecological profile: springs, streams, surface and groundwater, a high proportion of Natura 2000 protected areas, and rich biodiversity. In this environment, a system of communal water management developed as early as the 16th century, based on the temporal allocation of water flow, unwritten yet clear rules, and specialized social practices.<\/p>

This system\u2014comprising springs, channels, cisterns, watermills, and stone bridges\u2014is not merely technical infrastructure but a living form of intangible cultural heritage, inseparably linked to agricultural life, dry-stone walls, footpaths, and the collective memory of the island.<\/p>

Contemporary Threats and Needs<\/h3>

The presentation clearly highlighted the pressures this system faces today: abandonment of agriculture, population decline, over-extraction through boreholes, tourism development, and climate change. Many springs are drying up or being abandoned, while traditional knowledge is at risk of disappearing.<\/p>

In response to this reality, the Andros Research Center does not limit itself to documentation but is implementing a long-term, applied research program aimed at reactivating springs as common goods.<\/p>

From Research to Action: Projects for the Springs of Andros<\/h3>

The conference presented the main pillars of the Center\u2019s multi-year project:<\/p>