IGRAC has formalised its cooperation with two Latin American institutes, namely the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) in Bogotá, Colombia and the UNESCO Regional Centre for Groundwater Management in Latin America and the Caribbean (CeReGAS).
Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) can be used to address a wide range of water management challenges. It is particularly suitable for mitigating precipitation variability, balancing groundwater over-abstraction or restoring water quality. It is therefore a promising measure in a context of global change. That is why IGRAC is active in MAR, for already 10 years. In 2018, IGRAC put efforts in enlarging the MAR portal, raising awareness about the potential of MAR and further research on MAR suitability mapping.
In recent years IGRAC has been very active in Southern Africa. After contributing to the assessment of the Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer System and bringing the SADC Hydrogeological Map back on-line, IGRAC is currently engaged in 2 regional projects, SADC-GWdataCoM and RAMOTSWA, both supporting sustainable management of groundwater resources in SADC and IGRAC co-organised the 1st SADC Groundwater Conference.
In 2018, IGRAC has added new data and new functionalities to the GGMN portal. Automatic on-line data exchange using a so-called SOS connection with the Groundwater Information Network Canada sets an example for the future. Cooperation with national organisations in charge of groundwater monitoring has been extended, particularly in the Americas.
The Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, has published a special issue dedicated to 'International Shared Aquifer Resources Assessment and Management'. This special issue, edited by Dr. Alfonso Rivera and Prof. Lucila Candela contains an editorial and 11 articles that focus either on global trends or on a specific region (Africa, Americas, Asia or Europe).