Post on 27-Apr-2022
Ellis Penning (Deltares, PhD)
With contributions from: Adrian Stanica (GeoEcoMar), Laurence Carvalho (CEH), Antonio Lo Porto (IRSA-CNR) Leon Kapetas (Draxis) and Bregje van Wesenbeeck (Deltares)
11-06-2020
Nature Based Solutions in River Management
Why talk about NBS in River Management?
The European Green Deal provides a roadmap with actions to
• boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy
• restore biodiversity and cut pollution.
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EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 & Farm to Fork
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The coronavirus crisis has shown how vulnerable we all are, and how important it
is to restore the balance between human activity and nature. At the heart of the
Green Deal the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies point to a new and better
balance of nature, food systems and biodiversity; to protect our people’s health
and well-being, and at the same time to increase the EU’s competitiveness and
resilience. These strategies are a crucial part of the great transition we are
embarking upon.”
Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission
Global challenges
• Climate change and biodiversity loss
• Governments and donors are increasingly applying NBS to reduce hazards, mitigate and adapt to effects of climate change and to improve water management and limit heat stress;
• Demand for sustainable, resilient and multi-benift solutions;
• Trend toward integrated, multi-benefit (and multi-party) solutions;
• Clear trend toward with nature
• Many pilots, and trial projects.
→ Yet, uptake at larger scale is still challenging
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http://nwrm.eu/
What are NBS• Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) make proactive use of natural processes
• ‘Building with Nature’, ‘Eco-engineering’, ‘Blue-green infrastructures’….
Tackle problems of:
• Flood defence
• Flood/drought mitigation and adaptation
• Environmental pollution
• Urban heat stress and climate adaptation
• Sediment management and beneficial use sediments
•To reduce risks,
•To provide cheaper, better and/or quicker alternatives,
•To serve multiple goals
Platforms, projects and communities to share knowledge
Building with
Nature guidelines
Design guideline
development
http://pedrr.org/
https://www.ecoshape.org/en/
https://publicwiki.deltares.nl/display/BWN1/Guideline
www.think-nature.eu
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www.operandum-project.eu
http://www.reconect.eu/
5 key-principles of implementing NBS
1. System scale perspective: time and spatial scales, local setting:
incl. physical processes, socio-economics, institutional aspects
2. Risk and benefit assessment of full range of solutions:
incl. co-benefits
3. Standardized performance evaluation:
use criteria also used for traditional solutions
4. Integration with ecosystem conservation and restoration:
system functioning at the basis
5. Adaptive management:
asses daily maintenance, monitor and evaluate during life cycle
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Van Wesenbeeck, et al (2017). Implementing nature based flood protection : principles and
implementation guidance (English). Washington, DC. World Bank Group.
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/739421509427698706/Implementing-nature-based-
flood-protection-principles-and-implementation-guidance
NBS in catchments for soil management
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Keesstra et al, 2018
Panagos et al, 2020
Current catchment challenges
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https://www.stowa.nl/nieuws/hoe-ziet-een-klimaatrobuust-beekdallandschap-eruit-bekijk-het
Need voor integrated catchment management
Solutions from upstream to downstream
Community of Practice on Stream- and River Restoration,
Ronald van der Heijden
Heat stress
Flash floods
Chemical pressures
Hydomorphological
pressures
Soil erosion
Rapid drainage
Groundwater
depletion
Towards climate robuste catchments
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https://www.stowa.nl/nieuws/
Sustainable
agriculture
Natural functioning
Urban resilience
Improved
water quality
and quantity
Climate robust agriculture
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• Reduce drainage capacity of land
• Create natural water retention areas
• Increase groundwater levels
• Increase organic content of soils
• Select climate robust crops
Reduce floods Increase low flow
Increase groundwater
recharge
Climate Adaptive Cities
• Re-green paved areas where possible
• Decouple rainwater systems from sewer system
• Implement wadi’s and bioswales
• Create water storage in/below streets and public parks
• Stimulate green roofs
• Create green buffer strips close to urban streams (longitudinal parks)
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https://clevercities.eu/milan/
Restoration of water quality and quantity
• Restore groundwater fluxes
• Use natural crop protection
• Stimulate wise soil management
• Restore stream profile
• Create vegetated buffer strips
14https://tweedforum.org/our-work/projects/the-eddleston-water-project/eddleston-water-project-videos/
Spray (2016) - https://tweedforum.org/eddleston-project-database/
Restoration of the natural system
• Reforest where possible
• Close drainage channels
• Restore flood zones along streams
• Reforest streams for shading
• Stimulate meandering of streams
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Lower Danube Green Corridor. Author: WWF; Source: WWF Fact Sheet - September 2010; http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_ldgc.pdfProject description - https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/metadata/case-studies/lower-danube-green-corridor-floodplain-restoration-for-flood-protection
Maria Ionescu & Adrian Stanica (GeoEcoMar)
Photos from: http://danube.panda.org/wwf/web/search/media.jsp?pid=41&mid=65547 https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/3997/lower-danube-green-corridor
NBS as ‘standard practise’ Lower Danube
‘most cost-effective measure in flood protection’
How do we get to concrete recovery actions under the Green Deal?
• Multistakeholder challenges – Collaborative planning
• Financial aspects – Natural Assurance Schemes
• Long term funding strategies
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http://naiad2020.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/NAIAD_Info.pdf
Source S. Janssen, Deltares, meerwaarde van samenwerken
Future research needs to tackle uncertainties
• Testing extreme events
• Long term monitoring to understand and evaluate uncertainty and dynamics over time
• Define Key Performance Indicators
• Enablers for implementing/mainstreaming large scale – basin wide strategy
• Limits to functionality must be better understood – part of larger DRR strategy
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Photo – Robbert de Koning Photo: Deltares
Key conclusions
1. NBS can play an important role in the implementation of the Green Deal
2. Stimulate NBS on catchment scale through proper masterplanning and evalution of all goals using Key Performance Indicators
3. Include all stakeholders for multi-benefit solutions from the early start
4. Provide proper finances for implementation and monitoring and evaluation
5. Knowledge development on specific aspects helps acceptance and easier adaptation
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Acknowledgements -Concepts presented here are based on discussions within the Community of Practice on Stream- and River Restoration in the Netherlands, facilitated by STOWA and joint research activities with the Ecoshape consortium, World Bank and Asian Development Bank
Thank you
Take home messages: 6 enablers for NBS in water management
1. Assure technical assessments and full system understanding are well covered
2. Multi-stakeholder cooperation from the early onset - Make unconventional consortia and alliances
3. Adaptive monitoring, management and maintenance are standard and part of the design
4. Institutional embedding is helped by regulations and guidance documents
5. No project without finances – ensure new types of business cases using LCC and approprateevaluation of ‘traditional’ and NBS solutions’ for multiple benefits and goals
6. Educate, train, talk, meet, show, learn, listen and be inspired
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Room for the River
22Photos – Robbert de Koning
https://issuu.com/ruimtevoorderivier/docs/depoldering_noordwaard__flood_plain
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Contact
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