Combining safety and nature: a multi-stakeholder perspective on integrated floodplain management

Area of Science:

• Environmental Management
• River Ecology
• Spatial Planning

Background:

• Dutch river management has shifted towards nature-based solutions in floodplains over the past two decades.
• Policies like Room for the River aimed for multifunctional floodplains, creating initial win-win scenarios for flood protection and nature.
• Subsequent challenges arose in floodplain maintenance due to conflicting stakeholder perspectives on reconciling flood protection and nature conservation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate opinions on future floodplain management strategies along the Waal River.
• To explore stakeholder visions regarding floodplain management, collaboration, nature, Natura 2000 goals, and the Cyclic Floodplain Rejuvenation (CFR) strategy.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with stakeholders involved in river and nature management.
• Analysis of opinions across five key themes: management visions, collaborators, nature visions, Natura 2000 realization, and CFR strategy feasibility.

Main Results:

• Integrated planning approaches have not been fully adopted into current floodplain maintenance strategies.
• Innovative strategies like CFR face incompatibility issues with static regulations (Natura 2000, flood protection norms).
• A majority of respondents favor dynamic floodplain visions, advocating for policy flexibility and multi-stakeholder collaboration for cost-efficient management.

Conclusions:

• Current maintenance strategies lack integration, hindering innovative floodplain management.
• Flexibility in policies and dynamic visions of nature are crucial for successful, cost-efficient floodplain management.
• Enhanced multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential for reconciling flood protection and nature conservation goals in evolving floodplain landscapes.