Future of the IJsseldelta: an Example of Modern River Basin Management

摘要

River basin management is nowadays focusing more and more on implementing a total concept, taking into account all relevant aspects and stakeholders in the region. The main goal of this approach is to achieve a sustainable environment for the future. The project "Future of the IJsseldelta" in the Netherlands is an excellent example of this integral approach and modern river basin management. Large scale initiatives, such as urban development and main infrastructure axes, in combination with flood management and related river themes are the main issues at stake in the IJsseldelta area. To be able to direct the developments rather than suffer their consequences, the involved parties have chosen not to wait but to join forces. In this way they have come up with a number of scenarios on how to develop the area in the coming decades. To develop plans at such scale and with such complexity, a sound administrative basis is of paramount importance. The main parties involved are authorities like the ministries, the province, waterboards and the municipalities and various other local stakeholders. DHV Environment and Transportation is involved in this project to assist in the process management and to support with technical and financial expertise. The key to the success of this project has proven to be proper coordination and gearing all activities to one another, combined with in- depth (technical) knowledge of the issues at stake. The feeling is broadly shared that this is the best route to expressly tailor all issues to one another. The issues considered consist of infrastructure, transport, urban and industrial development, ecology and recreation. The main goal of this approach is to guarantee that the Usseldelta area will keep its unique ecological features in the future, while at the same time taking its fair share of the economical development in the region. This paper gives a description of the adopted philosophy, which resulted in sound holistic scenarios.