Ulrich Schwarz, Sanja Pokrajac, Kathrin Bockmühl and Gisela Stolpe Nature-based solutions for flood risk prevention in South-Eastern Europe BfN-Skripten 511 2018 Nature-based solutions for flood risk prevention in South-Eastern Europe Final report Ulrich Schwarz Sanja Pokrajac Kathrin Bockmühl Gisela Stolpe Cover picture: Livanjsko Polje, Bosnia and Herzegovina (© U. Schwarz) Editing: Alexander Zinke, Vienna Authors’ addresses: Ulrich Schwarz FLUVIUS, Floodplain Ecology and River Basin Management Hetzgasse 22/7, 1030 Vienna, Austria E-Mail: [email protected] Sanja Pokrajac Independent Expert Svetozara Markovica 27a, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia E-Mail: [email protected] Kathrin Bockmühl German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation Gisela Stolpe Branch Office Isle of Vilm International Academy for Nature Conservation Isle of Vilm 18581 Putbus, Germany E-Mail: [email protected]; [email protected] This publication is included in the literature database “DNL-online” (www.dnl-online.de) BfN-Skripten are not available in book trade. A pdf version can be downloaded from the internet at: http://www.bfn.de/0502_skripten.html. 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ISBN 978-3-89624-248-8 DOI 10.19217/skr511 Bonn, Germany 2018 Table of contents Table of contents ................................................................................................................... 3 Figures ................................................................................................................................... 4 Tables .................................................................................................................................... 6 Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 9 Preface ................................................................................................................................ 11 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 13 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 19 1.1 Flood risk prevention by Nature-based Solutions (NbS) .............................................. 19 1.2 The study area: Western Balkan ................................................................................. 28 1.3 Regional example for the efficiency of existing NbS for flood risk prevention .............. 30 2 Major floods - natural and anthropogenic causes ........................................................ 33 2.1 Documentation of natural hazards and events ............................................................ 33 2.2 Anthropogenic factors that increase the flood risk ....................................................... 37 2.3 Natural water retention areas ...................................................................................... 43 2.4 Conventional flood prevention measures and their effectiveness ................................ 57 2.5 National activities and projects on nature-based flood risk management .................... 58 3 Review and analysis of policies, practise and stakeholders of nature-based solutions...................................................................................................................... 65 3.1 Implementation of the EU Floods Directive ................................................................. 66 3.2 Climate change adaptation strategies and NbS........................................................... 73 4 Potential NbS sites, priority areas and pilot project proposals ..................................... 77 4.1 Determination of potential NbS sites and criteria for identification of priority sites ....... 77 4.2 Potential NbS projects and priority sites in each country ............................................. 81 4.3 Potential pilot projects ............................................................................................... 103 5 Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 131 6 References ............................................................................................................... 133 3 Figures Fig. 1: Geographical overview. ................................................................................... 13 Fig. 2: Map with 264 potential NbS in the whole study area. ....................................... 17 Fig. 3. Nature-based Solutions are an overarching concept for ecosystem- based approaches to address societal challenges .......................................... 21 Fig. 4: Study area with the main eco regions and main drainage boundary ................ 29 Fig. 5: Discharge reduction of the Sava main channel by retention of the Upper Posavina flood management system ............................................................... 30 Fig. 6: Potential flooded area along major rivers ......................................................... 33 Fig. 7: Potential areas with high risk for landslides...................................................... 34 Fig. 8: Flood risk zones (based on officially mapped potential flood risk areas) .......... 35 Fig. 9: The losses of floodplains along the lower Sava ............................................... 38 Fig. 10: The hydromorphological baseline assessment of Balkan rivers ....................... 39 Fig. 11: Hydropower dams in the Western Balkan region ............................................. 42 Fig. 12: Examples for existing important natural water retention sites ........................... 44 Fig. 13: Shares of different ecologically valuable land cover types within the potentially flooded area ................................................................................... 45 Fig. 14: One of the most natural river deltas in the Adriatic Sea, the Seman delta ........ 47 Fig. 15: Overview map of karst poljes in southern BA. .................................................. 48 Fig. 16: Adapted land use by extensive grasslands at Livanjsko polje .......................... 49 Fig. 17: Map overview and regular extent of flooding at Livanjsko polje ........................ 49 Fig. 18,19: Kopački Rit during flood; Effects of peak flow reduction and retardation of the Danube flood wave .................................................................................... 51 Fig. 20: Skadar Lake between Montenegro and Albania: Natural water retention at one of its largest extensions ........................................................................ 52 Fig. 21: Lake Skadar shore and wetland zonation ........................................................ 53 Fig. 22: Obedska Bara (lower Sava river), oxbow and floodplain forest ........................ 53 Fig. 23: Map of retention capacities of major wetlands ................................................. 56 Fig. 24: Flood defence dikes and main dams/reservoirs. .............................................. 57 Fig. 25: Example for data layers to define potential NbS .............................................. 80 Fig. 26: Identified potential areas for reconnection of retention areas as well as sites for afforestation and other NbS ............................................................... 82 Fig. 27: Proposals for NbS-sites in Albania. .................................................................. 84 Fig. 28: Proposals for NbS-sites in Bosnia & Herzegovina. ........................................... 87 Fig. 29: Proposals for NbS-sites in Croatia. .................................................................. 94 4 Fig. 30: Proposals for NbS-sites in Kosovo. .................................................................. 95 Fig. 31: Proposals for NbS-sites in Montenegro. ........................................................... 96 Fig. 32: Proposals for NbS-sites in Macedonia. ............................................................. 98 Fig. 33: Proposals for NbS-sites in Serbia. .................................................................. 102 Fig. 34: The most important river systems in Albania (Drin in the North, Vjosa in the South) ...................................................................................................... 104 Fig. 35: Historical comparison and development of coastal plain in Albania ................ 106 Fig. 36: Proposal for the Drin/Buna case, considering all potential flood pathways and potential floodplain