Chris Baker, Wetlands International

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Wetlands International
Summary of the Report Sustainable Flood
Management Obstacles, challenges and solutions

• Chris Baker, Wetlands International

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Role of wetlands in sustainable flood management
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• Wetlands and floods are integrally related
• Regulation of floods by wetlands
• Floods regulate wetlands
• Wetlands are vital to people and nature
• Biodiversity
• Livelihoods
• Planning to manage floods must take account of
  wetlands
• Flood management gives opportunities for wetland
  restoration
• Principle of Space for the river

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Recommendations for the implementation of the FRMD
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• FRMD is positive but lacks specificity
• Assessment of flood risk under the Directive must
  include consideration of the role of wetlands in
  flooding processes
• Flood risk maps should not only focus on
  potential (economic) damage, but also include the
  areas where wetlands are essential to help reduce
  flooding and where natural flooding is essential
  to the ecological functioning
• Flood risk management plans should also take into
  account the protection levels and measures that
  will contribute to maintaining the ecological
  value of wetlands
• The principle of solidarity in the FRMD must be
  applied to take into account the role of upstream
  wetlands on flood-risk downstream and across
  borders.
• The FRMD must be implemented in line with the
  Water Framework Directive

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Values and threats to cross-border rivers and
wetlands in Europe
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• There are many hundreds of transboundary wetlands
  in Europe
• Transboundary wetlands in Europe have importance
  for people.
• Transboundary wetlands in Europe have particular
  importance or potential as part of flood
  management.
• Transboundary wetlands have importance for
  nature.
• Transboundary wetlands in Europe are subjected to
  a number of different threats structural
  modification for flood defence is one of the most
  significant
• There are insufficient resources readily
  available to enable a comprehensive overview of
  European wetlands
• Data on the socio-economic values of
  transboundary wetlands, or indeed wetlands
  generally are insufficiently available

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Sustainable flood management in Cross-Border Areas
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BENEFITSthat arise from successful cross-border
sustainable flood management

• Wetlands in border areas are often of high value
  to people and nature
• Improved ecological processes in rivers and
  wetlands that generate upstream downstream
  benefit across borders such as fish migration.
• Increased capacity to store floodwaters upstream
  decreasing flood risk downstream and improving
  wetland habitat and associated services.
• Creation of cross-border recreational resources
  that foster improved cooperation and
  understanding between border communities and
  enhanced livelihoods.
• Enhanced groundwater recharge, improving water
  resources for domestic and industrial use in the
  region.
• Reduced damage and loss of agricultural
  production through strategic land use planning
  that is in harmony with river flooding.

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OBSTACLESto successful cross-border sustainable
flood management

• Communication across language and cultural
  differences.
• Institutional culture, structure, hierarchy and
  decision-making processes.
• Sectoral differences.
• Nature conservation objectives and planning
  trajectories.
• Cultural differences in attitudes to flood.

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SOLUTIONSto help achieve successful
cross-border sustainable flood management

• Sharing experiences and knowledge are important
  to build common understanding and approaches.
• Planning and strategy development are critically
  important to achieving sustainable flood risk
  management in cross-border areas.
• Implementation must be jointly carried out.
• Step-wise implementation.

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TECHNICAL SOLUTIONSto help achieve successful
sustainable flood management

• NOT cross-border specific
• Increasing water retention capacity
• Improving water flow in flood prone areas,
• Improving natural values through structural
  measures
• Improving natural values through active water
  flow management
• Improving opportunities for nature development
  and reducing damage from floods through redesign
  of land use in floodplains.

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Recommendations
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1

• Develop a policy recommendation to develop a
  common framework to enable joint implementation
  of FRMD and WFD
• Develop a guidance document for the
  implementation of the FRMD that takes into
  account the importance of wetlands
• Place nature conservation and management at the
  heart of flood management
• Develop Europe wide standards for the valuation
  of floodplain wetland ecosystems to enable
  integration in decision-making

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2

• Develop policy advice to funders of flood
  management initiatives that recommends adopting
  an integrated basin approach
• Pilot joint implementation of the FRMD and WFD in
  demonstration catchments to explore challenges
  and develop best practices
• Develop a European database of wetlands that
  describes their distribution and potential
  importance to flood management and their
  vulnerability to change.
• Develop a toolkit for transboundary water bodies
  / wetlands that guides riparian countries in the
  process of joint management for flood risk
  management and nature objectives