How can we shape landscapes so they store water more effectively, buffer extreme events, and contribute to biodiversity at the same time? This question was at the center of Dr. Benjamin Kupilas's presentation at this year’s DWA conference on "River Basin Management."

A near-natural water balance is far more than a technical issue of water management – it is a cornerstone of climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as nature and resource protection. Recent droughts and floods have made it clear how vulnerable our landscapes and infrastructures are. Natural ecosystems can retain water more effectively, thereby increasing the resilience of entire regions.

Restoration and nature-based solutions as key strategies

Restoring ecosystems and landscape features is one of the most effective ways to reestablish a near-natural landscape water balance. Reconnecting floodplains, rewetting peatlands, or managing forests more naturally creates retention areas, habitats, and carbon sinks – real synergies between climate action, nature conservation, and water management. Managing the landscape water balance is therefore a classic cross-cutting task that requires cooperation, integration, and joint action across administrative and disciplinary boundaries. The goal is to bring different sectors and expert communities closer together – so that restoration becomes not only ecologically sound, but also socially and economically viable.

Linking research, practice, and implementation

Building on a 2024 expert workshop organized by Ecologic Institute for the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), four key areas for future research were identified:

• Developing regional guiding visions for sponge landscapes and river landscapes
• Creating multifunctional land-use concepts
• Expanding our understanding of ecological and hydrological processes, such as the interactions among vegetation, soils, and water availability
• Establishing robust monitoring systems with accessible data

Numerous projects and pilot initiatives are already generating important insights and demonstrating how nature-based solutions can be implemented in different types of landscapes – from hedgerow plantings in agricultural areas to sponge city concepts with green and blue infrastructure.

The central challenge now is to put this knowledge into practice – within a complex landscape of legal, planning, and institutional frameworks. The identified implementation needs span five major areas of action:

1. Consistent legal and policy implementation of existing strategies and targets
2. Simplified access to funding, flexible contracting, and incentives for private (co-)financing
3. Securing adequate land for restoration and water retention
4. Strengthening cross-sector collaboration and participatory processes to build societal acceptance
5. Carrying out concrete measures, accompanied by monitoring and evaluation of outcomes

Pathways to implementation

1. Recognize and leverage synergies: There is significant synergy potential among the goals of nature conservation, water management, floodplain and river protection, climate mitigation, and climate adaptation. These synergies need to be identified early in planning and actively harnessed. Nature-based solutions serve as a unifying element, bringing ecological and technical approaches together.
2. Moving from knowledge to practice: We already have extensive knowledge from research, pilot projects, and hands-on experience. The challenge is to translate these insights into real-world action – for example, through model projects that plan and implement sponge landscapes and demonstrate how water can be retained, soils revitalized, and ecosystems stabilized.
3. Participation as a key to acceptance: Transforming landscapes toward climate resilience requires participatory approaches. Early and open involvement of local stakeholders, land users, and the broader public strengthens acceptance, builds trust, and enables jointly supported solutions.
4. Ensuring long-term financing: Durable impact requires stable, long-term financing structures. In addition to public funding, new financing models – including co-financing by private actors – should be developed to sustain implementation over time.