Biosphere reserves play an important role in nature and species protection. However, even protected natural areas are vulnerable to global environmental changes. Take karst landscapes, for example: due to their hydrogeological characteristics, they are very sensitive – the future management of their water resources is characterised by considerable uncertainties. An international research team led by ISOE is therefore investigating in the InfraSETS project how water infrastructures in karst landscapes can be developed as sustainably as possible.
Infrastructure is understood to mean not only technical facilities such as irrigation systems – for example, pumps or water supply networks – but also ecosystems that fulfil infrastructure functions, such as natural springs or sinks. In addition, infrastructure also refers to the knowledge systems and organisational structures that are necessary to plan, build and maintain these facilities. The project aims to find ways to develop these infrastructures in such a way that they meet both the natural conditions and the needs of the local population.
To this end, the research team has selected five European biosphere reserves and other protected areas. These are located in the southern Harz region in Germany, the Velebit Mountains in Croatia, the Valle del Cabriel in Spain and the Prenj Mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The researchers and their partners see these protected areas as ideal transformation spaces where they can find favourable conditions for testing new approaches to dealing with uncertainties: Biosphere reserves are regarded as model regions for joint learning and action by administrations, businesses and residents in complex socio-ecological contexts and are therefore well suited for developing experimental solutions to sustainability problems.
The research team is pursuing a transdisciplinary approach in the InfraSETS project, which is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. Together with biosphere reserves and stakeholders from water management and regional development, the team is developing formats in which sustainable water infrastructures can be experienced and visualised – including a travelling exhibition, water dialogues, participatory modelling and mapping.
On the one hand, the regional water infrastructures themselves are central to this. They should be designed in such a way that they meet local requirements and global challenges in equal measure. To this end, risk management strategies, new dialogue platforms and exhibitions are planned in cooperation with the biosphere reserves. On the other hand, the aim is to offer ‘knowledge spaces’. To this end, the research project is developing supra-regional formats that serve as learning platforms for the exchange of knowledge and contribute to strengthening research cooperation and collaboration between stakeholders.
The project “InfraSETS – Infrastructuring Social-Ecological Transformations in Water Management and Nature Protection in Karst Landscapes” is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation as part of the “Change! Fellowships and Research Groups” funding initiative.
Creating transformative spaces to identify new ways of dealing with uncertainties in water resource management – using the example of karst landscapes in Europe
What impact does climate change have on our water resources? Is water scarcity also a threat in Germany? What challenges does the water industry face?
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