Innovative System Solutions for a Transdisciplinary and Regional Ecological Flood Risk Management and River Basin Management/Water(course) Development Close to Nature

Aim of the project is to develop tools for a management on river basin level, which contribute to a systematic synergetic effect in the implementation of two directives of the European Union (EU): the Water Framework Directive and the Flood Risk Management Directive. Using its transdisciplinary and user-oriented approach, which establishes an exchange between engineering, natural and social science as well as practise partners and local stakeholders, the project team develops innovative system solutions, where flood protection and the natural design of rivers are better linked.

Within the project the IÖW develops solutions and concepts for the administrative management of water resources as a key element for a sustainable regional water resources management. Besides determining the costs of the measures to be examined the benefit of a river basin management close to nature in the field of cultural ecosystem services is being considered. For this a representative willingness to pay study (choice experiment) is being carried out. The results are merged finally to an extended cost-benefit analysis.