crisis became an (inter)national media event, prompting the national government to
step in and restore balance amidst the public outcry for more drainage. From the
crisis, the observed one-sided approach to addressing European nature and water
quality directives was a clear disaster. Alternative plans proposed by the Drainage
Boards have the potential to deal with the double objectives better. While highly
protected nature areas will remain protected and will continue to receive national
funding, the danger is that intermediate areas that connect the designated nature
areas will deteriorate and the habitat hotspots remain isolated.
In the eastern part of the Netherlands, all water authorities, provinces, municipalities, relevant NGOs, such as nature organizations and the farmers union, and
drinking water companies agreed to develop and co-finance a working programme
on fresh water supply in 2014. Projects like the Vechtstromen pilot fit perfectly in
this programme. Another multilevel issue is the retreat of national government from
nature and landscape policies. The Twente pilot area had been declared a “National
Landscape” and an action plan was already developed when the national government stopped the policy programme leaving regional and local stakeholders to carry
on with reduced support. In 2010, national government also cut nearly all support
for the development of the National Ecological Network, a longstanding Dutch
nature policy that aimed to halt this biodiversity loss by conserving nature, maintaining ecosystem function and service through connecting habitats. In the Twente
pilot area, finding successful ways to upscale small-scale projects such that they
cover larger areas, and also areas nearby, was difficult. This was not only true for
farms, but also for nature conservation. Small fragments and discontinuities in
nature areas are more vulnerable compared to areas that are linked and provide flora
and fauna the ability to freely flow among areas. In this way, the ecological network
approach was the ideal approach for the area. Now the Province of Overijssel had to
step in to safeguard as much as possible, but could never do it to the same extent as
would have been the case with more national support.
All in all, the multilevel interactions are quite varied between the regions studied.
In most cases, water authorities have taken the lead in drought resilience management, though in the Somerset case, the primary actor is less apparent. In France,
the national authorities have the lead in drought management, partly because of the
centralized governance structure, and partly in response to the severe 2003 heat
wave crisis. In the Somerset case the national authorities stepped in when the flood
crisis became a big media event. In the two Dutch cases, national authorities
withdrew from essential aspects of nature and landscape development. The
European Union policies had strong indirect effects as a result of existing nature
policies. Apart of the multilevel governance, the multiscale aspect of the measures
and effects were also visible. In Eifel-Rur, the linked reservoirs spread out all over
the area making measures at one spot relevant to other areas. In Vilaine, the
reservoir level impacts areas far inland. In Twente, the challenge is to link the
various scattered project areas where measures are taken into larger programmes
that cover bigger areas.
12 Cross-cutting Perspective on Nature
239
step in and restore balance amidst the public outcry for more drainage. From the
crisis, the observed one-sided approach to addressing European nature and water
quality directives was a clear disaster. Alternative plans proposed by the Drainage
Boards have the potential to deal with the double objectives better. While highly
protected nature areas will remain protected and will continue to receive national
funding, the danger is that intermediate areas that connect the designated nature
areas will deteriorate and the habitat hotspots remain isolated.
In the eastern part of the Netherlands, all water authorities, provinces, municipalities, relevant NGOs, such as nature organizations and the farmers union, and
drinking water companies agreed to develop and co-finance a working programme
on fresh water supply in 2014. Projects like the Vechtstromen pilot fit perfectly in
this programme. Another multilevel issue is the retreat of national government from
nature and landscape policies. The Twente pilot area had been declared a “National
Landscape” and an action plan was already developed when the national government stopped the policy programme leaving regional and local stakeholders to carry
on with reduced support. In 2010, national government also cut nearly all support
for the development of the National Ecological Network, a longstanding Dutch
nature policy that aimed to halt this biodiversity loss by conserving nature, maintaining ecosystem function and service through connecting habitats. In the Twente
pilot area, finding successful ways to upscale small-scale projects such that they
cover larger areas, and also areas nearby, was difficult. This was not only true for
farms, but also for nature conservation. Small fragments and discontinuities in
nature areas are more vulnerable compared to areas that are linked and provide flora
and fauna the ability to freely flow among areas. In this way, the ecological network
approach was the ideal approach for the area. Now the Province of Overijssel had to
step in to safeguard as much as possible, but could never do it to the same extent as
would have been the case with more national support.
All in all, the multilevel interactions are quite varied between the regions studied.
In most cases, water authorities have taken the lead in drought resilience management, though in the Somerset case, the primary actor is less apparent. In France,
the national authorities have the lead in drought management, partly because of the
centralized governance structure, and partly in response to the severe 2003 heat
wave crisis. In the Somerset case the national authorities stepped in when the flood
crisis became a big media event. In the two Dutch cases, national authorities
withdrew from essential aspects of nature and landscape development. The
European Union policies had strong indirect effects as a result of existing nature
policies. Apart of the multilevel governance, the multiscale aspect of the measures
and effects were also visible. In Eifel-Rur, the linked reservoirs spread out all over
the area making measures at one spot relevant to other areas. In Vilaine, the
reservoir level impacts areas far inland. In Twente, the challenge is to link the
various scattered project areas where measures are taken into larger programmes
that cover bigger areas.
12 Cross-cutting Perspective on Nature
239