Description:
What are perspectives for sustainable agriculture and nature conservation and development, combined with a more sustainable management of wate4r and soil?
Which measures will make the water systems more robust? What are the consequencies of such robust water systems for a more sustainable kind of land use and spatial arrangement in the rural area of the peat meadow areas? What is the impact on economic and social costs?
Research objectives:
To give insight in short and long time impact of drainage strategies in the peat areas in the western part of the Netherlands. It concerns especially impact on soil subsidence, water quality, retention capacity, agricultural land use, nature conservation and development, recreational potention.
Approach:
- Hydrological modelling and scenario analysis of several water level strategies.
- Field monitoring of effectiveness of application of submerged drains.
- Synthesis of several aspects in this research project.
- Knowledge transfer to policy and water management, agriculture and nature management.
Results and products:
New institutional arrangements to be used for transitions in land use caused by changing drainage strategies.
- Model simulations of several drainage levels with respect to water management, water quality, soil subsidence, agriculture, nature etc.
- Financial and social costs and benefits of several drainage strategies
- Effectiveness of a system of submerged drains with respect to reduction of soil subsidence and to agricultural land use, and impact of these drains on water quality and retention capacity.
- DSS to be used in interactive planning processes related to changes in drainage strategy. |
