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A multi-benefit measure increasingly being acknowledge for its importance is the restoration of floodplains that can both reduce flood risk and improve the ecological and quantitative status of waters. Natural floodplains act as water retention systems and support the ecological flow. Measures to restore floodplains can contribute to achieving many objectives, including the good status objective of the WFD and national water policies (EEA 2010). Nature-based solutions (NBS) aim for e.g. multi-functional nature-based catchment management and ecosystem restoration, or enhancing the insurance value of ecosystems. A list of some 300 different nature-based solution measures and their linkage to ecosystem services shows, how diverse the use and their applicability in several sectors, like flood protection, climate change adaptation, sustainable urban development or water management, can be (Sutherland, et al., 2014).

There are many national activities in Europe aimed at NBS, such as the Dutch Room for the River (see Box 8).

Box 8                  Room for the river in the Netherlands

One example of implementation of nature-based solutions in the context of improving risk management and resilience of aquatic ecosystems is the ‘Room for the River’ Programme in the Netherlands. The developed strategy focusses on making more space for water to better prevent floods by lowering the level of high water and to offer spatial quality to the area reconnecting people and rivers. Several projects have been carried out at 30 locations in the Netherlands, where dykes were relocated, high-water channels constructed, and floodplains lowered ([1]). For example, in the area of the city of Nijmegen a 350 meters long dyke was relocated, and an ancillary channel was built. This project offers multiple benefits: The reduction of the water level by 35 cm, and brings also new potential for the development of the city by the creation of an urban river park with possibilities for recreation and nature (EC 2015). The total costs are 360 million Euro.

([1]) Source: https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/english/about-us/gems-of-rijkswaterstaat/room-for-the-river/index.aspx