Transcript Climate change, land use planning and the EU Floods Directive

Climate change, land use
planning and the EU Floods
Directive: Lessons from the
Schelde
Katrien Debeuckelaere
Legal Advisor, Land Use Planning, Flemish Region
Gretta Goldenman
Director, Milieu Ltd, Environmental Law & Policy, Brussels
Outline of presentation
• Impacts
of climate change on flood risk in
Europe
• Climate change & the EU Floods Directive
• Land use planning as an instrument for
bringing together flood risk management &
nature protection
• Case study of the Schelde River
• Lessons learned
Europe is concerned about floods
• Over
100 major damaging floods in Europe
between 1998 & 2004
- Danube (2002)
- Elbe (2002)
• Impacts
include
- 700 deaths + half a million people displaced
- Over €25 billion in insured economic losses
• Trend
continues
- Czech Republic & Romania (2010)
Climate change impacts predicted
for Europe
• More
rain in northwestern Europe, less rain
in southern Europe
- Over most mid- & high latitudes of Northern Hemisphere
flood magnitude & frequency likely (66-90% probability) to
increase in most regions, & low flows likely to decrease in
most regions (IPCC, 2001)
• More
extreme precipitation events
• Not yet possible to analyse climate change
impacts on water resources at catchment
scale (limited resolution of current CC simulations - grids
200 km2)
Climate change & flood risk
•
Map showing the number of times more likely it is that a European winter will be
extremely wet in 50 to 100 years, compared with today.
Source: Palmer and Räisänen (2002).
EU Floods Directive
Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and
management of flood risks
• applies to all inland waters & coastal waters across
the EU territory
• Member States required to
- carry out preliminary flood risk assessments by 2011
- prepare flood risk maps by 2013
- develop flood risk management plans focused on
prevention, protection & preparedness by 2015
- facilitate public participation in this process
EU Floods Directive (2)
• Closely
linked to Water Framework Directive
- Requires coordination with e.g. river basin
management planning & public participation
procedures in their preparation
• Coordination
required for shared river
basins, including with third counties
- MS must not undertake measures that would
increase flood risk in neighbouring countries
EU Floods Directive (3)
• Aim:
to reduce & manage the risks that
floods pose to human health, environment,
cultural heritage & economic activity
• Recognises:
- climate change as long-term risk factor
- importance of sustainable land use in planning for
flood risk prevention & management
Land use planning
• Land
use planning as an instrument for
bringing together flood risk management &
nature protection
• The Schelde
Key dates for the Schelde
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1953 flood
1976 flood – impetus for Sigma
1977 – Sigma Plan (focus on dikes)
2005 – Sigma Plan revised
Wintam
Sigma Plan revised
change – rise of sea level – 1/70
years a flood – 1/lifetime – safety
• Opportunity to combine flood
prevention/safety – shipping - nature
protection - recreation
• SEA and CBA for SIGMA Plan
• Climate
Land use planning
Framework
• Spatial structure plan for Flanders is a
Policy plan
• Implementation by Land-use plans - Spatial
Implementation Plan – defines zoning
Spatial Structure Plan →
Spatial Implementation Plan
• Designation
of and development
prospects for the natural structure
• Important role of the Schelde river as
an important part of the natural
structure
• Sigma Plan + Spatial Structure Plan
• Spatial Implementation Plan
Kruibeke-Bazel-Rupelmonde
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•
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Part of original Sigma Plan
600 hectares
Spatial implementation plan needed for a flood
control area – wetlands – reduced tidal area - dike
- Protection against floods
- Development of nature: mudflats and salt marshes;
- Recreation;
- Agriculture.
Prosperpolder
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•
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Sigma Plan revised
Longterm vision Schelde estuary (co-operation
Flanders – Netherlands-) Hedwige polder – total
465 hectares
Spatial implementation plan needed for an intertidal
area – 170 hectares
- Protection against floods
- Protection and development of nature: mudflats and salt
marshes;
- Recreation;
- Agriculture.
Instruments
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Policy plan: Spatial structure plan
Sigma plan
Land use plan
Expropriation
Social plan
Landbank
Natureplan –SEA
CBA
…
At project level: permits
Who is involved
• Several
administrations at regional level
• Flanders and the Netherlands: co-operation
• Several communes
• Civil society eg nature protection, farmers,..
• Individual stakeholders
Lessons – Climate change
→ adaptable: Sigma plan → revision
• New research results → implementation
• Participation
• Co-operation between administrations and
cross-border
• Land use plan is one of several instruments
• Planningsystems in EU differ
• Plans
Lessons – EU Floods Directive
•
Planning needs to be at regional as well as at
national & local levels
• The process takes time
• Stakeholder participation helps, but there will be
conflicts
• Schelde case shows how flood risk assessment
helps make the case for spending public funds on
prevention & mitigation
• Potential win-win situation for nature protection
• In the end, political will essential
Thank you
www.rwo.be
www.milieu.be