The water situation in the Mediterranean area is the setting for the perfect storm: limited supplies, pollution, too many demands and deep historic and religious conflicts.

To address such issues, Maude Barlow, senior adviser on water to the United Nations and author of "Blue Covenant," will deliver the keynote lecture at the Water-Sharing and Culture in the Mediterranean conference at Cornell, March 6-8. Her talk, "Our Water Commons: Toward a Rights-Based Solution to the Global Water Crisis," is March 7 at 8 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall.

Barlow will discuss principles of water as a common and a public trust; integrated watershed management and restoration; public oversight and local management of water supplies based on local cultures and histories; and the human right to water.

The conference will gather Mediterranean and local water experts, students and others to present research into the water crisis and discuss a strategy for future action and research in the area. The focus of the meeting will be on the role of culture in addressing the crisis of water in the area.

For the conference's program, see: http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/Europe/about/waterculturesharing.asp.