Improving water quality in the Danube river and its tributaries by integrative floodplain management based on Ecosystem Services

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Danube

Date of latest update: 2024-03-22

Description

Description (EN):

Nutrient loads transported by the Danube affect its ecological status and have to be reduced, active floodplains can have a significant retention potential. But floodplains are subject to multiple human uses which strongly affect water quality of rivers. So far, these uses were sectorally managed (e.g. flood retention, nature conservation, agriculture), rarely regarding water quality and interactions between sectors. The current DTP-Danube Floodplain Project (DFP) links attempts of improving flood retention and restoration, while water quality is not yet in focus. IDESproject aims to add water quality targets to this effort and improve water quality by developing an integrative floodplain management based on Ecosystem Services (ES). The ES concept in the Danube region is actually not used to proactively manage different activities holistically. The use of a River Ecosystem Service Index in Germany has even shown that water management can be significantly improved by the identification of synergies between the various ES, which reflect the various sectoral interests and targets. Hence, existing ES evaluation methods in the Danube region with a focus on water quality issues will first be harmonized to the IDES tool and adjusted according to data availability. A spatial analysis will document the actual drivers of water quality along the Danube and its tributaries and of relevant ES in their floodplains. In five pilot areas IDES Danube will be applied: the effect of water quality management scenarios on relevant ES will be assessed in order to derive an optimized concept. Key actors will be trained in using the IDES tool for water quality management, a manual on the implementation of the tool will be elaborated. Based on the results, national action plans with prioritized areas and a joint strategy will be developed to improve water quality at transnational level regarding the Danube river basin management plan and targets of PA4 and PA6 of the EUSDR.

Achievements (EN):

FLOODPLAINS ARE ABLE TO REDUCE NUTRIENT POLLUTION, BUT NOT ENOUGH. THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR NEEDS TO STEP UP EFFORTS: A new scientific modelling shows that Danube River Basin floodplains - if restored - could retain more nitrogen and phosphorus. But for pollutant values to drop significantly the agricultural sector needs to reduce emissions as well. The IDES project* developed a tool that was used to model the retention capacity of the Danube River Basin floodplains – now and in the case the floodplains benefit from works of Ecological Restoration. Reconnected floodplains in the Danube River Basin would remove more pollutants. The scientists involved in the project modelled that rivers and large active floodplains (3,842 km2) remove around 33,200 tons of nitrate from the rivers per year, which represents 6.5% of the entire nitrate emissions in the Danube River Basin. The reconnection of potential floodplains (1,298 km2) and disconnected water bodies would increase this function. The floodplains would increase their capacity of retaining nitrate by 2,500 tons per year. In this scenario, the specialists estimate a total of 38,100 tons or 7.4% of emissions retained by the Danube River Basin, every year. “Floodplains play a limited but critical role in reducing nitrate and supporting water quality”, said Martin Tschikof of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU). “Reconnection measures substantially improve this function but are not able to compensate for excess nitrate emissions, which are dominated by diffuse sources,” he added. The conclusion that the specialists in the IDES project arrived at is that emissions, especially from agriculture, the main emitter, need to be further reduced and also other types of wetlands need to be restored, in order to substantially reduce nutrient loads.

Website: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/

Expected Results (EN): Intensity of cooperation of key actors in the programme area in order to improve transnational water management and flood risk prevention (survey based composite indicator)

Expected Outputs (EN):

The provision of a new assessment tool together with a manual and a strategy on how to implement the tool in the future will improve the co-operation of the key actors in the field of water quality management at transnational level to make a more effective and sustainable water quality management at regional and local levels along the Danube and its tributaries possible. This will result in a holistic and sustainable view as well as in a joint approach for accelerating and harmonizing actions including other sectors beyond the water sector and speeding up the implementation. The main results are in a nutshell: - A well-functioning and reinforced expert network, integrating public authorities from different levels, NGOs and research institutes from the 10 participating countries. - Capacity building among the involved partners and related institutions, beyond in the overall Danube region by providing exchange of experiences and technical know-how during stakeholder workshops and trainings on the newly developed IDES tool, documented in the IDES manual. - Strengthened cooperation pathways of project partners and local/regional stakeholders by joint implementation of pilot actions which serve as best practice examples, guidance and blueprint for further concrete solutions, concepts and measures. An integrative strategy for improving water quality creating a common understanding and a basis for decision-making and stakeholder communication in and beyond the water sector.

Thematic information

Water management Waterways, lakes and rivers

Specific Objective:

Strengthen transnational water management and flood risk prevention (short title). Strengthen joint and integrated approaches to further develop and implement River Basin Management Plans in the Partner States in line with the overall Danube River Basin Management Plan in order to improve transnational water management and flood risk prevention contributing to the sustainable provision of ecosystem services

Thematic Objective: (06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:

Investment Priority: (06b) investing in the water sector to meet the requirements of the Union's environmental acquis and to address needs, identified by the Member States, for investment that goes beyond those requirements

Partners (11)

Lead Partner: Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt

Department: Professorship for Applied Physical Geographie

Address: Ostenstrasse 26, 85072 Eichstaett, Germany

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ku.de

Total budget: EUR 329 327.00

ERDF budget: EUR 279 927.95

Poljoprivredni fakultet, Univerzitet Novi Sad

Name: Poljoprivredni fakultet, Univerzitet Novi Sad

Department: Department of Water Management

Address: Trg D. Obradovica 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Legal status: public

Website: http://polj.uns.ac.rs

Total budget: EUR 90 713.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 77 106.05

Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Name: Universität für Bodenkultur Wien

Department: Water-Atmosphere-Environment (WAU) / Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG)

Address: Gregor-Mendelstraße 33, 1180 Wien, Austria

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.boku.ac.at/

Total budget: EUR 249 250.00

ERDF budget: EUR 211 862.50

Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.

Name: Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.

Department: Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries

Address: Rudower Chaussee 17, 12489 Berlin, Germany

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.igb-berlin.de/

Total budget: EUR 227 997.00

ERDF budget: EUR 193 797.45

WWF Romania

Name: WWF Romania

Department: Freshwater

Address: Tudor Vladimirescu Blvd, 29, Afi Tech Park 1, 3rd floor, 50881 Bucuresti, Romania

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.wwf.ro

Total budget: EUR 212 900.00

ERDF budget: EUR 180 965.00

Közép-Tisza-vidéki Vízügyi Igazgatóság

Name: Közép-Tisza-vidéki Vízügyi Igazgatóság

Address: Boldog Sándor István krt 4, 5000 Szolnok, Hungary

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.kotivizig.hu

Total budget: EUR 207 735.00

ERDF budget: EUR 176 574.75

Universitatea din București

Name: Universitatea din București

Department: RESERACH CENTRE IN SYSTEMS ECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Address: Soseaua Panduri 90, 050663 Bucharest, Romania

Legal status: public

Website: https://rcses.unibuc.ro/

Total budget: EUR 160 352.00

ERDF budget: EUR 136 299.20

Zavod za gozdove Slovenije

Name: Zavod za gozdove Slovenije

Department: Central Unite Ljubljana, Department for Forest Management Planning

Address: Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.zgs.si

Total budget: EUR 131 526.00

ERDF budget: EUR 111 797.10

Inštitut za vode Republike Slovenije

Name: Inštitut za vode Republike Slovenije

Address: Einspielerjeva ulica 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.izvrs.si

Total budget: EUR 119 082.00

ERDF budget: EUR 101 219.70

Институт за изследвания на климата, атмосферата и водите при Българска академия на науките

Name: Институт за изследвания на климата, атмосферата и водите при Българска академия на науките

Address: Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd. 66, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Website: http://cawri-bas.eu/

Total budget: EUR 115 348.00

ERDF budget: EUR 98 045.80

Ministerul Mediului, Apelor și Pădurilor

Name: Ministerul Mediului, Apelor și Pădurilor

Department: Fund Accesion Directorate

Address: Blvd. LIBERTĂȚII 12, 040129 Bucharest, Romania

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.mmediu.ro

Total budget: EUR 106 940.00

ERDF budget: EUR 90 899.00

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Improving water quality in the Danube river and its tributaries by integrative floodplain management based on Ecosystem Services

Project acronym: IDES

Project start date: 2020-07-01

Project end date: 2022-12-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 951 170.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 658 494.50

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 1 581 388.45.
IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, EUR 77 106.05.

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Danube

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-09-22

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

155 / 155 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

1 582 / 1 582 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.interreg-danube.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-10-06, 2023-01-10 and 2024-01-30.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Improving water quality in the Danube river and its tributaries by integrative floodplain management based on Ecosystem Services

Description

Thematic information

Partners (11)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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