Hotspot Dry rural areas
Flooding and water stress are significant problems in agriculture and nature conservation. This presents water managers with new challenges, especially given the stricter requirements which have been made with regard to the water quality (the Water Framework Directive). The current intensive use of land by agriculture is not climate proof and interferes with achievement of the more stringent water quality requirements. It also increases the risk of diseases and pests, such as bluetongue.
Large areas of countryside situated on higher sandy ground, are currently undergoing a transition from a food production landscape to a more consumerist multi-functional landscape. During this transition period, national and local government try to encourage intensive livestock farms to switch from cost price oriented production for the world market to a market in which, for example, better quality or more consideration for animal welfare can be realized. This will help the system to make a contribution to water management, environmental quality (groundwater directive, acidification, Water Framework Directive), nature conservation and scenic qualities. An increasing number of civilians, both individuals and non-agricultural businesses, are joining farmers and are looking for qualities that are found in rural areas and thus becoming the new economic contributors to the countryside. In addition, it will also be necessary to deal with the increasing pressure of urbanization.
Climate change puts this complex transition process under heavy pressure, therefore businesses and individuals will increasingly choose to locate to those areas of the Netherlands, which are above sea level. Consequently, the national ecological network will need to be made climate proof; the water retaining capacity of the landscape will need to be increased; and more space will need to be created for water storage. Various claims on space will mean that tension between private and public interests will increase and the need for coordination between spatial scales will become essential. Solving this tension between diverging interests on a range of the spatial and administrative spectrum, must be an important part of the development planning.
Objective
To develop knowledge regarding the effects of climate change on regional development in the short and medium terms. Rural areas on higher sandy ground will undergo a dramatic transformation: during the coming years they will transform into a multi-functional landscape in the coming years. An increasingly dynamic water management system means that a climate change will put this transformation under a lot of pressure. Flooding and water stress will also cause problems more often.
The themes are:
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effects of water storage and effectiveness of measures on agricultural areas
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effects of water stress and effectiveness of measures
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effects of climate change (incl. water stress) on the realisation of the spatial national ecological network (connectivity) and biodiversity protection
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investigate at a regional level how climate-related risks can be incorporated into the planning process and the regional decision-making process
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Midterm Assessment 2012 (webpage) |
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Projects and Publications
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HSDR01: An inventory of strategies to cope with climate change in dry rural sandy areas with a temperate climate: a case study in the Province of Gelderland |
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HSDR02: Combining spatial claims of land use functions and adaptive strategies to climate change in densely populated rural areas This project is a participative reconnaissance study aiming to explore the possibilities of multifunctional land use as an instrument for climate change adaptation strategies in sandy rural regions, especially in the province of Noord-Brabant. Guiding principle is... read more |
In preparation of the theme research several researches were conducted. The final reports are available:
| Leeuwen, E. van, Koetse, M., Koomen, E. and Rietveld, P. (2009). Spatial economic research on climate change and adaptation, ISBN 978-94-90070-02-1, KvK rapportnummer KvK 002/2009. | VBR07 |
| Heijmans, M.P.D. and Berendse F. (2009). State of the art review on climate change impacts on natural ecosystems and adaptation, ISBN 978-94-90070-09-0, KvK rapportnummer KvK009/2009. | VBR12 |
| Stoorvogel, J.J. (2009). Adaptation of Dutch agriculture to climate change. KfC Report Number 016/09, ISBN 978-94-90070-14-4. | VBR12 |
Watch the overview with all the Dry Rural areas projects and publications.
Deltas in Times of Climate Change II Conference
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