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Global Climate Change and water scarcity are two severe future challenges. To meet degradations and shortages, sustainable and resilient solutions are of major importance. Herein the traditional and long lasting management of water in drylands, on small scales, is a promising solution, called: water harvesting.

This volume brings together an introduction to means and theory of water harvesting and includes several case studies on ancient and medieval water harvesting from Spain, Jordan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Sudan and Sri Lanka. These measures may provide good options to be (re-)implemented and practiced in the present and the future.
In this sense, we understand the experience or knowledge gained in the past as an opportunity to cope the challenges of the present and the future.

The book is not only meant for scholars working in the field of water management in drylands, but also for all neighboring natural and social disciplines as well as for all interested laypersons, farmers, local authorities or other stakeholders.

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Preface 5
Purpose and Structure of the Book 6
Chapter 1 - Introduction to Water Harvesting
(Jonas Berking) 7
Types of Water Harvesting9
The Concept and Components of Water Harvesting9
1.1 Classification of Water Harvesting 11
1.2 Climatic and Hydrological Aspects 18
The Hydrological Cycle18
Water Harvesting is Part of Human-Nature Interactions20
1.3 Important Factors controlling Water Harvesting 21
Rainfall Character21
Runoff Components21
Catchment Character - Soil and Slope Degradation22
Land Cover and Land Use23
Socio-Economy24
Maintenance - Implementation24
Sustainability24
Impacts25
References26
Chapter 2 - Case Studies 29
Historical Perspective on the Case Studies29
Geographic Distribution of the Case Studies30
References32
2.1 Water Harvesting at Monjukli Depe, Turkmenistan
(Jonas Berking) 33
2.2 Early Bronze Age Jawa - an artificial Oasis in the Basalt Desert
(Julia Meister, Jan Krause and Bernd Müller-Neuhof) 40
2.3 Water Harvesting around Naga, Sudan
(Jonas Berking and Brigitta Schütt) 48
2.4 Water Harvesting around Petra, Jordan
(Jonas Berking) 55
2.5 Water Harvesting around Resafa, Syria
(Brian Beckers) 61
2.6 Water Harvesting around Vélez Blanco, SE-Spain
(Sarah Ißelhorst, Jonas Berking and Brigitta Schütt) 66
2.7 Water Harvesting in the Tropics.
An Introduction of an ancient System in the dry Zone of north central Sri Lanka
(Wiebke Bebermeier, Nuwan Abeywardana, Ingo Middelhaufe and Brigitta Schütt) 73
Acknowledgments 80

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