IWMF: Transferring Swiss knowledge on river restoration

10 September 2007

Under the leadership of Eawag (the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), an international group of experts from the research, administration, NGO and river engineering sectors has been convened to address river restoration and flood protection issues. The Forum concluded that, compared with the financial resources committed to restoration projects, inadequate attention is paid worldwide to decision-making processes, the definition of goals and the evaluation of outcomes.

IWMF-participants visit a renaturated section of the river Thur.
(photo: Ueli Meier)

With its long tradition of river engineering and a well-established water protection regime, Switzerland serves as a model for other countries in the management of rivers and streams. However, in Switzerland too, many rivers are so heavily engineered or so intensively used for power generation that they have to be considered ecologically degraded. River restoration and flood protection issues were discussed by experts invited by Eawag to attend the International Water Management Forum from 4 to 6 September.

Systematically reviewing earlier measures

Among the speakers was Helmut Bloech, Head of the Water Protection Sector in the Directorate-General for the Environment at the European Commission in Brussels. In his view, it should become standard practice for earlier measures and interventions carried out under former legislation to be reviewed with an open mind. While Bloech is aware that river engineering measures or hydropower plant renovation for environmental purposes are long‑term projects, he believes that planning processes need to be initiated today, if results are to be visible in 15 or 20 years’ time. He drew a parallel with infrastructure such as wastewater treatment plants or sewer systems: “Here, too, nobody expects everything to be renewed at the same time, but it’s not disputed that these installations need to be continually adapted to modern technology and not left as they were in 1950 or even earlier, as is unfortunately often the case with river engineering structures.”

Major investments, but poorly defined decision-making processes

Tim McDaniels (University of British Columbia, Vancouver) – a leading expert on decision-making for public policy issues in connection with risk management – argued that natural disaster management and river restoration should no longer be viewed as purely technical matters. Switzerland, he believes, is a pioneer in the field of research on decision-making processes, as conducted by Eawag for example. Despite the importance of having clearly defined project goals, decision-making processes and outcome evaluation, these points are frequently neglected in practice – even though countries such as the US or Japan each invest more than a billion dollars a year in waterbody restoration projects.

Considering the entire river basin

Keigo Nakamura, a member of the River Restoration Team at the Japanese Public Works Research Institute, used the example of the Tama River to illustrate Japan’s integrated approach to water protection and flood control. In many respects, Nakamura acknowledged, he had learned from experience in Switzerland. Consideration of the entire river basin is essential. Also commenting on this question, Bloech said: “Rather than solving the problem, protecting only your own backyard against flooding actually makes it more acute further downstream.” However, as Bloech knows from experience, “Flood protection habits are extremely hard to break.” He admitted that he could understand why local authorities found it difficult to commit themselves to certain policies at the local level, such as refusing to zone any more land for development along rivers or even zoning out remaining undeveloped areas. For this reason, Bloech concluded, higher-level authorities – such as central or cantonal government in Switzerland – are sometimes required for river restoration projects, “however important federal and democratic structures may be.”

Three artificial channels at the Japanese Aqua Restoration Research
Center afford to demonstrate and explore the consequences of
dams and other river engineering measures. (photo: PWRI)

Seeking acceptance

The need to gain acceptance for combined flood protection and river restoration projects among local residents is also an issue in Japan. Accordingly, as Keigo Nakamura explained, the authorities have begun to work together with local environmental associations on the Tama River. These groups have established a river monitoring network. As well as producing cost-savings for the authorities, this has led to the direct involvement of many stakeholders in projects. In view of the need to secure political approval for the necessary funding, Nakamura has an additional asset: at the Aqua Restoration Research Center (ARRC) in Gifu, three 800-metre-long artificial channels have been built for demonstration purposes. Here, visitors can learn about the effects of dams and other measures on sediment transport and flood safety – and also on habitat diversity in and around rivers.

International Water Management Forum – IWMF

At this year’s IWMF, held at the Kartause Ittingen (Canton Thurgau) from 4 to 6 September, Eawag brought together 45 experts on river restoration from the research, administration, NGO and river engineering sectors. The participants came from countries such as the US, Canada, the UK and Japan. The Forum, which included presentations, workshops and excursions, was primarily concerned with decision-making processes and outcome evaluation – both topics that have tended to be neglected in river engineering projects to date. Eawag Director Janet Hering emphasized that this was the first time that all stakeholders – including representatives of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – had joined forces at an international level in the river restoration field. Accordingly, support for this new expert network is to be continued. Planned activities include the joint initiation of an EU project on river restoration. The IWMF 2007 was sponsored by the reinsurance company Swiss Re.