Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) Application for Hydro-Environment Enhancement. A Case Study of the Isar River (DE)

Abstract

In mountain areas, natural hazards, e.g., flooding, snow avalanches, droughts, and landslides are triggered by climate change, anthropization, and economic development. Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) are attracting increasing interest as they are able to couple technical solutions against natural hazards with ecological and socio-economic resilience. On this matter, the four-year H2020 Innovation Action “PHUSICOS—According to Nature” (Grant Agreement nr. 776681) project aims to assess the effectiveness of NBSs and hybrid solutions to hinder hydro-meteorological events in rural and mountainous areas in Europe. Among the ongoing activities within the project, a multi-criteria tool was implemented to assess the effectiveness of NBSs measures from the technical, environmental, and socio-economic perspectives. In this work, the preliminary application of the assessment tool to the Isar River (DE) PHUSICOS concept case is discussed, with reference to an ex-post analysis of the flood risk management plan, comparing the performances of the implemented NBS project scenario against a potential grey solution.

Public Acceptance of Nature-Based Solutions for Natural Hazard Risk Reduction: Survey Findings From Three Study Sites in Europe

“…Research for successful NbS has focused more on its physical implementation rather than local public attitudes and supportive behavior, although a recognition of the latter is increasing (Howgate and Kenyon 2009;Buchecker et al, 2013;Kabisch et al, 2016;Triyanti et al, 2017;Ferreira et al, 2020). There is also increasing attention on stakeholder preferences within NbS projects, although the focus of these studies generally involves the weighting of criteria for instrumental project outcomes (Giordano et al, 2020;Pugliese et al, 2020;Ruangpan et al, 2020), rather than a broader analysis of relevant perceptions and values. This lack of background social science research on NbS for risk reduction can lead to misaligned expectations (Verbrugge et al, 2017) and communities being blamed for the failure of participatory initiatives (Biswas et al, 2009;Barthélémy and Armani 2015).…”

Living Labs—A Concept for Co-Designing Nature-Based Solutions

“…Companies or firms do not often see value or benefits in participating in Living Labs driven especially by enablers, such as the government or NGOs, as representatives of the public and the business sector often perceive that Living Labs mainly address the objectives and values of these groups [59]. Nonetheless, the Isar Case demonstrates positive economic benefits of NBS [99]. The study demonstrates the added economic values and business opportunities, i.e., for entrepreneurs benefitting from new recreation opportunities and related business models, but also indirect impacts, such as new skills and experiences for small and medium enterprises, such as planning offices that are involved in the Isar-Plan.…”

Integrated Valuation of Nature-Based Solutions Using TESSA: Three Floodplain Restoration Studies in the Danube Catchment

“…As an example, the added value of cultural ES and of pollination ES were not included in the estimation, due to difficulties in monetarization for the former, and challenges in knowing about pollinators in the areas for the latter. These factors could potentially be included by a higher engagement of stakeholders, as done by Pugliese et al (2020) [6].…”

“…For example, potential ES of floodplain reconnection are flood depths reduction, which can reduce flood risk, or a better river-floodplain connection, which enhances ES, such as water quantity and quality regulation [5]. Floodplain restoration is a solution with great potential but these NBS are difficult to finance because, when compared to technical measures, they require a wider land usage and a more case-specific approach to maintain comparable risk reduction and local economical expenses [6]. Therefore, we need to consider the benefits of this NBS, namely the various ES provided, to have a more integrative picture on the effects of floodplain restoration measures.…”