Bari, Italy, 31 March - 3 April 2008

Summary

The training workshop was attended by 25 participants from 13 countries. 12 study sites from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Cape Verde, Morocco, Tunisia, Botswana and Chile were represented, as well as other working blocks and NGOs.

• Day 1 The main focus was on the review of the achievements made by the study sites regarding WP3.1 and WP3.2 (the first two steps of the methodology). Each study site presented a poster with the main results from their first stakeholder workshop and a progress bar regarding the documentation and evaluation of promising mitigation strategies. Thereafter, WP3.3 was introduced and the concept of the second stakeholder workshop presented. The participants received the guidelines and software and with the help of this material, the training allowed to conduct practical exercises with a high learning effect. All methodological steps were conducted in small groups, each focusing on one selected objective of one study site. Participants also got the chance to act as moderators and stakeholders during certain steps.
  Day 2 focused on the selection and definition of mitigation options based on a search in the WOCAT database, and the identification of criteria to score these options. The actual scoring was then done with the help of option cards placed on a scoring tool.
• Day 3 was dedicated to the use of the decision support tool, the analysis of the results and the final negotiation over which option to select for test implementation. Some time was also used to update the planning matrix of Research Theme 3 activities for each study site, to reflect the role of the study site team, and to have a look at the next working block engaged in implementation and monitoring.
• On Day 4, working block leaders and DESIRE coordinators joined the group for the excursion to the Rendina Basin, the Italian study site.

The training was well received by the participants. Everybody participated very actively and the outstanding group spirit from the Murcia training could be continued.