Water in sufficient quantity and quality is indispensable for sustaining life, development, and the environment. Changing precipitation patterns driven by climate change are contributing to the increased occurrence of extreme hydrological events such as floods and droughts worldwide threatening the availability and accessibility of water resources. These trends are also evident in the Twente region in the Eastern Netherlands. Due to its topographical and hydrogeological characteristics, this region is particularly susceptible to droughts. This susceptibility is further exacerbated by changing land use patterns and socio-economic developments.
Drought resilience is therefore considered essential in the region. Locally, however, a range of potentially conflicting interests are represented, which may well lead to tensions when it comes to allocating freshwater resources. How stakeholders value water largely influences how they manage and utilize the resource. Determining these values to establish a basis for communication and mutual understanding among the stakeholders is therefore subject of this study. Furthermore, the aim is to determine how the future distribution of water can be organized in a drought resilient way. For this purpose, adaptive pathways are developed, taking into account the water values identified. The development and application of a serious game thereby acts as a medium to communicate the findings, revealing trade-offs, aligning different priorities and supporting the dialogue between stakeholders.
People involved
