Due to changes in climate, land use and regional policies, new integrated spatial and water resources management strategies are needed. The aim of WAREMA is to develop participatory river basin planning procedures based on stakeholder networks to contribute to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The partner countries face considerable problems connected with water resource management, such as a lack of institutional capacity and financial resources. There are concerns about their ability to cope with the WFD requirements. WAREMA aims at helping them by providing a prototype of a stakeholder-networking collaborative approach based on the use of easy-to-apply, state-of-the-art participatory techniques. Conflicts between water users, pollution, land degradation and threats to protected areas are the challenges that need to be tackled in the identified pilot project territories. The project partners include territorial bodies, research institutions and NGOs. New strategies tailored to river basins including large protected areas (e.g. Ramsar sites, Biosphere Reserves) will be addressed in four pilot projects. By means of private-public partnerships, context analyses, action plans and spatial planning concepts, the involved parties will gain a common vision on the priorities for nature and landscape protection, cultural heritage preservation, socio-economic development and water resource management - all of them seen from an integrated perspective. The ultimate aim is to achieve a sustainable regional development based on preservation, enhancement and efficient use of local resources.