Flavia Manieri The Po River Basin: Managing a Complex System Lessons from the Past, Recommendations for the Future Master’s thesis in Global Environmental History Abstract Manieri, F. 2016. The Po River Basin: Managing a Complex System. Lessons from the Past, Recommendations for the Future. Uppsala, Dep. of Archaeology and Ancient History. This thesis aims to explore how to use historical knowledge in the formulation of policy rec- ommendations for addressing contemporary environmental issues. Using the case study of the Po River Basin in northern Italy, I address one of the main weaknesses of the water re- sources management sector in Italy today: the complicated governance structure. I argue that roles and responsibilities often overlap and are not clearly defined among different levels of governance and a multiplicity of institutional actors; these being factors that contribute to make Italy’s water resources vulnerable and the country’s water availability uncertain. Im- porting Latour’s theoretical framework of hybridity into my work, I talk about water man- agement problems and challenges in Italy as a result of the modern understanding by which nature and society are held as being separate entities. Italy is more of a follower than a lead- er in coping with environmental issues, and it appears that the environment has a very low priority in Italian political culture. Insights on the evolution of policy, legal and institutional frameworks for water management are presented, together with analysis and recommenda- tions on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of water management in Italy. Keywords: Po River Basin, Water Management, Italy, EU Water Framework Directive, Humans-nature relation Master’s thesis in Global Environmental History (60 credits), supervisor: Anneli Ekblom, Defended and approved spring term 2016-06-09 © Flavia Manieri Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Box 626, 75126 Uppsala, Sweden 2 List of Figures Acronyms AATO - Autorità di Ambito Territoriale Ottimale/ OTAA – Optimal Territorial Area Au- thority AEEG – Authority for Electricity and Gas/ Autorità per l'Energia Elettrica e il Gas ARPA – Regional Environmental Protection Agency/ Autorità Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale CIRF – Centro Italiano per la Riqualificazione Fluviale/ Italian Centre for River Restoration COVIRI – Water Resources Surveillance Committee/ Comitato per la Vigilanza sull'Uso delle Risorse Idriche CP – Civil Protection EEA – European Environment Agency EU – European Union ISPRA – Institute for Environmental Protection and Research/ Istituto Superiore per la Pro- tezione e la Ricerca Ambientale MATTM – Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea/ Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare MIPAAF – Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies/ Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali MIT – Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport/ Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti MSE – Ministry of Economic Development/ Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico NGO – Non Governmental Organization OECD – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OTA – Optimal Territorial Area/ ATO – Ambito Territoriale Ottimale OTP – Optimal Territorial Plan RBA – River Basin Authority/ AdBPo – Autorità di Bacino del Fiume Po RBDA – River Basin District Authority RBMP – River Basin Management Plan SEA – Strategic Environmental Assessment WFD – Water Framework Directive WWF – World Wildlife Fund for Nature List of Illustrations Figure 1……………………………………………………………………………………15 Figure 2……………………………………………………………………………………22 Figure 3……………………………………………………………………………………34 Figure 4……………………………………………………………………………………35 Figure 5……………………………………………………………………………………41 Figure 6……………………………………………………………………………………42 Figure 7……………………………………………………………………………………44 Figure 8……………………………………………………………………………………44 Figure 9……………………………………………………………………………………46 Figure 10…………………………………………………………………………………..47 Figure 11…………………………………………………………………………………..47 Figure 12…………………………………………………………………………………..53 Figure 13…………………………………………………………………………………..56 3 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ..........................................................................................................................7 Chapter 3: The Po River Basin .............................................................................................................16 3.1. Setting the Scene: the long term history ...................................................................................16 3.3. Environmental Characteristics of the Basin .............................................................................20 3.3.1. Climate Patterns ................................................................................................................20 3.3.2 Water as a Resource ...........................................................................................................21 3.3.3 Water Quality data of the Po River Today .........................................................................22 3.3.4 Eutrophication in the Northwest Adriatic Sea ...................................................................22 3.4. Nature and Biodiversity in Danger ...........................................................................................24 3.5. Vulnerability and Risks ............................................................................................................25 3.5.1. Current Flood Risk ............................................................................................................26 3.5.2. Future Flood Risk..............................................................................................................27 3.5.3. Inland Navigation and “Bacinizzazione” ..........................................................................28 3.6. Actors and Roles: Behind the Po River Basin Management System .......................................30 3.6.1. The Po River Basin Authority ...........................................................................................31 3.6.2. Regions and OTAs ............................................................................................................32 Chapter 4: A River of Resources and Catastrophes .............................................................................34 4.1. The Evolution of Agriculture....................................................................................................37 4.2. Hydropower production in the Alps .........................................................................................38 4.2.1. Recommendations for Research and Management ...........................................................40 4.3. Flood Facts ...............................................................................................................................41 4.3.1. Characteristics of Disastrous Floods in Italy ....................................................................41 4.3.2. Flood Risk Management: An Example from the Past.......................................................42 4.3.4. Flood Risk in the Po River Basin ......................................................................................43 Chapter 5: Multi-level Environmental Governance in Italy, Water .....................................................54 5.1. Key environmental trends .........................................................................................................54 5.1.1. Water availability and quality ...........................................................................................54 5.2. Evolution of the policy, legal and institutional framework of water management ..................56 5.2.1. Three major reforms in three decades ...............................................................................56 5.2.2. Italy`s water reform: objectives and scope .......................................................................58 5.2.4. EU Water Framework Directive requirements and status of their implementation in Italy .............................................................................................................................................59 5.2.4. Institutional Setting ...........................................................................................................60 5.3. Governance Challenges in Managing Water Resources ...........................................................62 5.3.1. Aligning River Basins and Authorities .............................................................................62 5.3.2. River Basin Management Plans ........................................................................................63 5.3.3. Public Participation ...........................................................................................................64 5.3.4. EU Policy Package: A Driver to Improve Water Governance in Italy .............................64 Chapter 6: Concluding Discussion .......................................................................................................68 References ............................................................................................................................................71 4 5 6 Chapter 1: Introduction This thesis is a product of a two year master programme in Global Environmental History, a young and dynamic field which is poised to contribute knowledge and understanding to a variety of problems facing the entire planet. While there are various topics that can be