Climate-resilient brook landscapes

How can a vision for the future be translated into spatial policy for brook basins? Many municipalities are faced with this question. This project provides them with an answer.

Project objective

This project explores the linkage opportunities involved in climate-proofing brook landscapes. Examples of linkage opportunities are: climate-proof construction; nature development; leisure facilities; drought and waterlogging; energy initiatives; and sustainable farming. The ultimate goal is climate-proofing the brook basins in the north-eastern part of the province of Brabant.

Implementation

In design workshops, municipalities will be working on the objectives set out in their environmental visions. They will identify opportunities and translate these into steps for implementation. The outcomes of the design workshops will be field-tested in demonstration projects. The results of these projects will be shared with other regional parties under the collective climate adaptation programme.

Results

• The Aa en Maas district water board, together with the province of Noord-Brabant and with financial support from LIFE-IP Climate Adaptation, is organising workshops for municipalities to find concrete solutions for making the landscapes in Brabant climate-resilient. A special guide Climate-Resilient Landscapes has been developed for all municipal officials to start the conversation about the importance of water and soil.
• A large part of the province of Brabant is composed of brook landscapes. The increasing discrepancy between land use and the soil and water systems has rendered these landscapes vulnerable to the impact of climate change. The solution: render the brook landscapes climate-resilient by taking water as the guiding principle. The “Climate-resilient brook landscapes” climate narrative shows how Brabant brook landscapes are being climate-proofed and future-proofed.