Supporting Stakeholder Participation in Adaptive River Basin Management

Publication: Article
Citation: Lukat, E; Tröltzsch, J; Stein, U; Davis, M (2017). Supporting stakeholder participation in adaptive river basin management. Water Solutions,1/2017, 3-6.

Participation in the adaptation processes of river basin planning is necessary for sustainable water management. The article supports this statement by providing an overview of the work carried out within the framework of the BeWater project. We illustrate the methodology applied in the project, which resulted in four river basin adaptation plans for catchments in Cyprus, Tunisia, Spain and Slovenia. Furthermore, the project's case studies are presented as well as the challenges that stakeholders identified within their respective river basins. We show how the project was initiated in the case study basins and how it influenced their river basin management processes. An overview of the prioritized measures is given as well as a summary of BeWater's contributions to future river basin management undertakings. We end the overview with an outlook on how stakeholder participation can improve river basin adaptation.

Recommendations for Water Management Authorities within Europe and Beyond

Year 2017

Publication:Policy Brief

Policy brief 2 outlines the participatory approach developed within BeWater and presents recommendations targeting actors within European bodies and institutions dealing with adaptation planning and adaptation in water management. Aspects of EU policies that could pose a barrier to implementation of adaptation action are highlighted, and complemented with necessary actions to overcome such barriers. Policy brief 2 is available for download.

Supporting Participation in Adaptive River Basin Management

Policy Recommendations for the EU Level

Year 2017

Event:Conference

<p>Engaging stakeholders in adaptation planning is widely considered to enhance the degree of acceptance and political relevance of environmental policy measures; yet significant room exists for improvement in the design and implementation of stakeholder participation in decision-making processes. A European Policy Event entitled "Implementing COP22 agreements: River basin adaptation planning through stakeholder engagement" was organized by Ecologic Institute within the EU-funded BeWater project to address this topic. The event's key messages and European policy recommendations are available for download.</p>

River Basin Adaptation Planning through Stakeholder Engagement

9 February 2017
Brussels, Belgium

Publication:Book

This handbook by Ecologic Institute is intended to provide the reader with the necessary information how to guide the participatory development of a River Basin Adaptation Plan. The handbook begins with more general contextual information about the BeWater project before highlighting the importance of adaptation, the state of the art in river basin planning, society's role in the process and finally the need for resilient social-ecological systems. The handbook is available for download.

Developing Participatory Adaptation Plans for River Basins

A Handbook

Year 2016

Publication:Document

Citizens from around the Mediterranean participated in adaptation planning for the management of their local river basins. Based on a novel approach developed over the course of the EU-funded BeWater project, stakeholders from four case study river basins were engaged in a collaborative process with experts and policy makers to draft River Basin Adaptation Plans. Ecologic Institute was also part of this collaboration.

Four River Basin Adaptation Plans

Year 2016

Event:Workshop

Climate change and other pressures are impacting the environment and water resources in the Mediterranean, requiring plans for how to adapt the management of affected river basins and their water resources to changing future conditions. To address this challenge, a series of workshops organized by Ecologic Institute and local case study partners (CREAF, CyI, INRGREF and IzVRS) were held in March and April 2016 across the Mediterranean as part of the EU-funded BeWater project to gain stakeholder input for further developing tailored river basin adaptation plans.

Engaging Citizens in Adaptive River Basin Management in the Mediterranean

8 April 2016
Rmel (Tunisia), Tordera (Spain), Pedieos (Cyprus) and Vipava (Slovenia) river basins

Publication:Policy Brief

Hans Verkerk et. al. 2016: Planning for Climate Change: Society as a Key Player in River Basin Adaptation. [BeWater policy brief no.1]. The publication is available in English, Catalan, French, Arabic, and Slovenian.

Society as a Key Player in River Basin Adaptation

Planning for Climate Change

Year 2016

Event:Workshop

'BeWater' is a three and a half-year EU-funded project, which investigates the opportunities of preparing adaptive management plans for river basins in four case studies based in the Mediterranean region: Pedieos (Cyprus), Rmel (Tunisia), Tordera (Spain) and Vipava (Slovenia). The aim of the project is to promote dialogue and collaboration between science and society for sustainable water management in order to facilitate adaptation to the impacts of global change in the Mediterranean. From May until July 2015, four participatory workshops were held in the aforementioned cities. Some of the outcomes of the workshops are summarized in the table at the end of the text.

Engaging Citizens in Adaptive River Basin Management in the Mediterranean

27 May - 1 July 2015

Publication:Report

Davis, M; Rouillard, J; Lukat, E; Stein, U; Tröltzsch, J; Vidaurre, R. (2014). Compilation of best practice examples and experiences of adaptation plans. Deliverable D4.1, BeWater, FP7 project no. 612385 -SIS.2013.1.2-1 European Commission, 67 pp.

Compilation of Best Practice Examples and Experiences of Adaptation Plans

Year 2014

Language: English
Authorship: Evelyn Lukat

Jenny Tröltzsch

Dr. Ulf Stein

McKenna Davis
Published in: Water Solutions – Water and Wastewater Technologies 1|2017
Published by: DIV Deutscher Industrieverlag (DIV), Germany
Year: 2017
Dimension: 4 pp.
Project: Making Society an Active Participant in Water Adaptation to Global Change (BeWater)
Project ID: 2733
Keywords: Adaptation

Climate

EU

Governance

Water

Water Framework Directive, stakeholder participation, transdiciplinary, adaptation, agriculture, water, groundwater, climate change, water pollution

Europe, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Cyprus, Vipava, Tordera, Rmel, Pedios

Multicriteria-Analysis, participatory modelling

Further Links

PublicationPolicy BriefSupporting Participation in Adaptive River Basin Management

BeWater Policy Brief Nr. 2

Davis, McKenna et. al. 2017: Policy Recommendations for the EU Level: Supporting Participation in Adaptive River Basin Management. [BeWater policy brief no.2].

PublicationBookDeveloping Participatory Adaptation Plans for River Basins

Stein, U.; Davis, M.; Tröltzsch, J.; Sánchez, A.; Verkerk, H.; Libbrecht, S.; Broekman, A.; Magjar, M.; Giannakis, E.; Jebari, S.; Tarpey, J.; Lukat, E.; Bruggeman, A.; Zoumides, C.; Suhadolnik, P.; Vidaurre, R.; Rouillard, J. (2016). Handbook for drafting participatory adaptation plans. Deliverable D4.4, BeWater, FP7 project no. 612385 -SIS.2013.1.2-1 European Commission, 48 pp.

EventConferenceRiver Basin Adaptation Planning through Stakeholder Engagement

Engaging stakeholders in adaptation planning is widely considered to enhance the degree of acceptance and political relevance of environmental policy measures; yet significant room exists for improvement in the design and implementation of stakeholder participation in... Read more

Conference:River Basin Adaptation Planning through Stakeholder Engagement

Date: 9 February 2017
Location: Brussels, Belgium