SPONGEWORKS | IMPLEMENTING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR WATER RETENTION AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN EUROPE
Goals of the project:
- Upscale nature-based sponge measures to boost natural water retention in European river basins
- Demonstrate practical and inclusive solutions to enhance water retention across interconnected systems (groundwater, soil, surface water)
- Apply a multi-actor approach in three demonstrator areas: Pinios (GR), Lèze (FR), and Vecht (NL/DE)
- Promote co-benefits in soil, water quality, and biodiversity through multifunctional sponge measures
- Develop long-term strategies and action roadmaps for resilient landscape-scale sponge planning
Background & Description:
Spongeworks is about Co-creating and Upscaling Sponge Landscapes by Working with Natural Water Retention and Sustainable Management. In each of the three demonstrator areas, SpongeWorks evaluates existing sponge measures, draws les-sons-learned and best practices, and implements new sponge measures. SpongeWorks breaks new ground through scientific advances in integrated modelling and monitoring in the biophysical and socio-economic domains, enabling unprecedented levels of accuracy in the systemic evaluation of costs and (co-)benefits, for different sectors and society as a whole. The effectiveness of the large-scale implementation is analysed to co-create long-term sponge strategies with action plans and roadmaps at landscape scale. SpongeWorks engages and mobilises all relevant actors through social co-creation methods, promoting ownership of solutions and sustainability of results.
This project is a largescale (15M budget, 28 partners) Innovation Action aiming to connect science and practice in three demonstrator areas across Europe in which DesignLab was invited to join to promote collaboration in the Vecht river basin. Working in this area brings together German and Dutch policy partners all sharing the responsibility for the Vecht river. Close local partners will be waterschap Vechtstromen, Grafschaft Bentheim and Municipality Hardenberg, while from UT ET-CEM and BMS-CSTM are also involved. DesignLab has proposed to co-design an engagement and learning process with all relevant stakeholders in the Vecht basin area. We have proposed to be initiating and facilitating a learning community, the development of guides and toolkits and a final guidebook.
Consortium:
Partners:
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitaet Hannover (University, Germany) (Coordinator)
- Deltares (Research Institute, Netherlands) (Co-coordinator)
- Office International de l'Eau (OIEau) (France)
- International Network of Basin Organisatons (INBO) (France)
- Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos Dimitra, Soil & Water Research Institute (Agricultural Research Institute, Greece)
- IIASA (Research Centre, Austria)
- GWP-Med (International Network of Water-related Organisations, Greece)
- Universiteit Twente (University, Netherlands)
- Technische Universitaet Dresden (University, Germany)
- UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology (Research Centre, UK)
- Ecologic Institut gemeinnützige GmbH (Research Centre, Germany)
- WWF Greece (Environmental NGO, Greece)
- Agrotikos Synetairismos Paragogis Emporias Metapoiisis Frouton Kai Kastanon Melivias Athanati (Agricultural Cooperative, Greece)
- Dimos Agias (Municipality, Greece)
- Anaptyxiaki Etaireia Dimou Trikkaion Anaptyxiaki Anonymi Etaireia Ota (Municipality, Greece)
- Paseco Sp Ltd (Environmental consultants, Greece)
- Topikos Organismos Eggeion Veltioseon Tavropou Karditsas (Irrigation Association - Greece)
- Adict Solutions (Consultancy, France)
- Chambre Agriculture Ariège (Agricultural Chamber, France)
- Chambre d'agriculture de Haute-Garonne (Agricultural Chamber, France)
- Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique (Research Centre - France)
- Syndicat Mixte Interdépartemental de la Vallée de la Lèze (Regional Authority, France)
- Fruchtwasser Verwertungsverband Emlichheim (Irrigation Association, Germany)
- Hardenberg gemeente (Municipality, Netherlands)
- Landkreis Grafschaft Bentheim (Regional Authority, Germany)
- Naturschutzstiftung Grafschaft Bentheim (Nature Management Organisation, Germany)
- Vechteverband ULV 114 (Water-related Network Organisation, Germany)
- Waterschap Vechtstromen (Water Authority, Netherlands)
Knowledge partners:
- Decentralized Administration of Thessaly & Central Greece/Thessaly Waters Di-rectorate (Greece)
- Region of Thessaly (Greece)
- Ministry of Environment & Energy - General Secretariat of Natural Env. & Water (Greece)
- Nature in Occitanie Association (France)
- Nature Conservation association in Ariege Province (France)
- Provincial Council of Haute Garonne (Conseil départemental 31) (France)
- Provincial Council of Arriège (Conseil départemental 09) (France)
- Region of Occitanie (France)
- Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture (France)
- Water District Authority Adour Garonne (Agence de l’Eau Adour Garonne) (France)
- Emschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband (Germany)
- Emsland Group (Germany)
- EVI Abfallverwertung (Germany)
- Friends of the Earth Germany (Germany)
- German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) (Germany)
- Grenzüberschreitende Plattform für Regionale Wasserwirtschaft (Germany)
- Kreis Steinfurt (Germany)
- Landwirtschaftskammer (Germany)
- Lower Saxon State Department for Water, Coastal, and Nature Conservation (Germany)
- Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Germany)
- Provincie Overijssel (Netherlands)
- Vereinigung des Emsländischen Landvolkes e.V. (Germany)
- Waterschap DOD (Drentse Overijsselse Delta) (Netherlands)
Contact:
