Francisco Martínez-Capel, researcher and professor of Environmental Sciences at Campus Gandia, has taken part along with his team in the study of environmental flows in the Kilombero river basin in Tanzania, providing technical support. The international project was coordinated by the UNESCO- IHE Institute for Water Education (Netherlands), with the participation of other universities in Tanzania. The project is promoted by the United States Agency for International Development, under the coordination of the renowned Professor Michael McClain, with extensive international experience in water-related studies.
Marinez-Capel / Michael McClain
The ultimate goal is to establish new infrastructure and irrigation in this area of Tanzania, so as to contribute to the development of this country and its food safety, while making it compatible with the conservation of the tremendous natural wealth of the country.
The team from the Universitat Politècnica de València has played an important role in determining the environmental flows of the rivers, which are in charge of maintaining the high biodiversity of these ecosystems. This meant a series of field trips to study the tropical fish, interview local fishermen and share information with the scientists and technicians involved in the project, according to explanations by the researcher Martínez-Capel. Along with Martinez Capel from Campus Gandia, the researchers Rafael Muñoz-Mas and Carlos Puig also participated in the project.
COORDINATOR OF THE ECOHYDRAULIC COMMITTEE
Furthermore, the researcher Francisco Martínez-Capel has been named this year’s coordinator of the IAHR Ecohydraulics Committee, which conducts scientific collaborations among researchers from five continents in this field and mainly studies the relationships between aquatic organisms and riverbank vegetation with the streamflow in rivers and lakes.
