A Concept of Integrated Water Management Illustrated for Flanders (Belgium)

Abstract

Integrated catchment management (ICM) is an application of the concept of sustainable development for aquatic ecosystems. It aims at developing, maintaining, and restoring the water system to reach the quality objectives of multifunctional use for this generation without compromising the uses for future generations. The quality objectives should be based on sufficient ecosystem knowledge. ICM demands a solid and workable framework built on the integration of knowledge and organizational integration which are supported by statutory rules and (international) regulations. In Flanders, future legal support will be based on both the framework for water action plans proposed by the European Commission, and a Flemish decree concerning integrated water management. The overview given for ecosystem knowledge is (on a Flemish scale) based on data networks. The interrelation and processing of large data sets deliver basic knowledge to build up policy visions for land‐use planning and environmental planning. Organizational integration will be worked out on two levels: an Integrated Water Consultation Committee on a Flemish level (13,806 km2) will work out the outlines and examine the sector‐oriented long‐term demand for water; and Catchment Committees on a subbasin level (scale: 700–2300 km2) will bring together the relevant parties and work out integrated catchment plans (ICP). Bringing together the administrations of Environmental Planning and Town and Country Planning around one vision, with a balanced multifunctional use, is one of the biggest challenges of ICP in Flanders.

Coupling urban expansion models and hydrological models: How important are spatial patterns?

“…2). The catchment level is an official level for the regional water management and water policy making according to the Flemish decree concerning integrated water management which is based on the European Water Framework Directive (Schneiders and Verheyen, 1998). For each catchment management plans are being developed.…”

Biodiversity of microcrustaceans (Cladocera, Copepoda) in a lowland river ecosystem

“…These shallow water bodies in river valleys are important for biodiversity conservation (Biggs et al, 1994), but they have been lost on a large scale during the twentieth century (Hull, 1997). Knowledge of the biodiversity of different types of water bodies is important for protecting the river valley and achieving sustainable catchment management (Schneiders and Verheyen, 1998). Unlike in terrestrial ecology, there is no tradition in aquatic ecology for exhaustive species censuses that handle the full set of subhabitats (including the species-rich littoral zone) of individual lakes.…”

Basin Ecosystem Management in the Upper Han River for the South to North Water Division Project, China

“…Escalating human populations and economic development have significantly contributed to environmental issues such as global warming, ozone depletion, loss of biodiversity, acid rain, vegetation destruction, soil erosion, land desertification, water quality deterioration and atmospheric pollution [1][2][3][4] Humans and natural ecosystems are competing with each other for water needs and as such multifunctional, intensive and improper freshwater usages have imbalanced a variety of water uses for drinking, industry, agriculture and recreation [5]. This further results in consequences of toxicity, eutrophication, acidification, floods and droughts [3,6] which greatly threatens human survival and sustainable economic development.…”