Relocation of Dikes: Governance Challenges in the Biosphere Reserve “River Landscape Elbe-Brandenburg”

Abstract

As model regions for sustainable development, biosphere reserves have to protect large landscape units on the background of uncertain effects of climate change. They have to implement a suitable management for sustainable development of nature, and they have to include many stakeholders in their governance-processes. Longlasting solutions for conservation, flood protection and socioeconomic approaches are required.The focus of this article lies on a riparian landscape area, the biosphere reserve Elbe-Brandenburg River Landscape. Against the background of strained socioeconomic conditions and many requirements from stakeholders, the project "dike relocation near Lenzen (Brandenburg)" had to secure and improve the ecological conditions of floodplains, including forests, largely by turning private (agricultural) land back to floodplain forests and other floodplain-specific habitat types. Achieving acceptance for the goals of the project among the stakeholders and the residents and the need for suitable land use on a large scale were of great importance. The consequent involvement of different stakeholders was essential for a successful project combining ecological restoration and flood mitigation.

Identifying barriers for nature-based solutions in flood risk management: An interdisciplinary overview using expert community approach

“…Restrictions and land-use adjustments cannot be realized if the effects are unknown or vague. This means that cooperation of stakeholders becomes more imperative (Warner and Damm, 2019). However, limited information on the effects of specific NBS in a particular environmental setting may result in lack of stakeholders' trust to such measures (barrier I).…”

Land Policy for Flood Risk Management—Toward a New Working Paradigm

“…It thus becomes essential to focus on the process (how to plan, implement, and maintain solutions), rather than relying on finding and deciding on the measures alone. An appropriate process will inherently clarify, identify and establish measures (Thaler et al, 2020;Warner & Damm, 2019). The term Flood Risk Governance (FRG) (Bergsma, 2019;Hegger et al, 2014;Heintz et al, 2012) includes: 1.…”

A Socio-Ecological Approach to Conserve and Manage Riverscapes in Designated Areas: Cases of the Loire River Valley and Dordogne Basin, France

“…Comparably to the sites in France, the involvement and cooperation of stakeholders were essential for the success of this project. Putting a project into active cooperation with the government and other stakeholders is important, and like EPIDOR cooperates with the EdF, the Elbe Biosphere Reserve cooperates with the local agricultural holding company [141]. The conflict between nature and the production of energy, in form of biomass in the Elbe Biosphere reserve, hydropower in the Dordogne, or dams on the Loire, is a common theme.…”