Worldwide Hydrogeological Mapping and Assessments Program (WHYMAP)
UNESCO launched the WHYMAP project in 1999 as a joint effort of UNESCO-IHP and BGR (German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources).The aims of the project are to: summarize groundwater information on global scale, establish a database containing georeferenced data, produce a groundwater map of the world, scale 1:25 million, and evaluate global recharge rates under present climatic conditions and under future Climate Change scenarios. The knowledge of groundwater recharge rates is of crucial importance in the framework of an Integrated Water Resource Management. A WHYMAP Consortium was established and it comprises UNESCO (IHP and IGCP),  IAH (International Association of Hydrogeologists), CGMW (Commission for the Geological Map of the World) and IAEA. 

UNESCO Sector: Division of Water Sciences
Responsible Staff: Simone Grego, Alice Aureli

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