Core Mandates

WLRC has core mandates:

• putting into effect programmes on improved natural resources management and on conservation of important biodiversity reserves, habitats and ecosystems as well as programmes to promote sustainable use of water for agriculture and energy, land for agriculture, and infrastructure for producing goods and services sustainably;
• addressing these problems and contributing to sustainable development and environmental conservation, and thereby to the prevention of conflicts that may emerge in relation to access to natural resources; and
• Along with these mandates, WLRC actively engages in generating, developing and sharing knowledge and useful innovative practices on water and land resource management; designing knowledge management systems; setting up and developing learning watersheds as live learning and reflection platforms and scientific monitoring stations for capturing real-time data at different scales; and doing capacity building and learning. To realise its reasons of establishment, the Statute entrusts WLRC, inter alia, with the responsibilities to:
  

• initiate, propose and acquire autonomous funding for strengthening and implementing programmes that improve management of water and land resources in major basins of Ethiopia;
• conduct research programmes on hydro sedimentology, climate and sustainable water and land management in cooperation with other University organs and associated organisations at national and international levels;
• provide capacity building and backstopping services to like-minded institutions;
• cooperate with line ministries (e.g., of Water and Energy; Agriculture; Tourism and Culture; Education; Science and Innovation) and other institutions by acquiring mandates for monitoring and backstopping their programmes and initiatives in sustainable water and land management in Ethiopia;
• enhance and maintain the existing geospatial database and documentation system, i.e. Water and Land Resources Information System (WALRIS) that can be accessed and used by universities, its associate organizations and the public;
• initiate and/or facilitate the formulation and implementation of transdisciplinary partnership programmes with appropriate organizations, government agencies, other universities, research institutions and groups that conduct works in related areas;
• support advocacy groups campaigning to preserve essential land functions and ecosystem services as well as habitats for wild animals; and
• support graduate and post-graduate studies to use its observatories and learning watersheds as live learning platforms for research, development and policy making.