Reconciling Flood Resilience and Agricultural Challenges: Exploring the Multifunctional Potential of a Small Dry Retention Reservoir

Flood risks are escalating globally due to urbanization and climate change, which disrupt natural hydrological processes and diminish landscape resilience. Traditional grey infrastructure, such as concrete channels, dams, and levees, often sacrifices ecological integrity for flood protection. In contrast, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) offer an integrated approach combining flood mitigation with enhancing ecosystem services, biodiversity, and societal benefits. However, implementing NBS poses challenges, including balancing diverse stakeholder interests, land-use conflicts, and the need for effective policy integration.

This study examines the impacts of urbanization on flood protection and stakeholder perceptions in the Glinščica watershed, central Slovenia, with a focus on the Brdnikova dry retention reservoir. Designed primarily for agricultural use while protecting downstream urban areas, the reservoir exemplifies the complexity of multifunctional land use. Historical land-use changes in the Glinščica watershed, derived from a comparison of the Franciscean cadastre land use with current land use data, show a 1472% (505 ha) increase in built-up areas since the 19th century, accompanied by declines in meadows and pastures (62%; 373 ha), arable land (40%; 79 ha), and forests (7.4%; 53 ha). These transformations have increased flood risk, degraded biodiversity, reduced food security, and shifted public perceptions of land and water management.

Results show that renaturation efforts to restore ecological value of the altered landscape of Brdnikova reservoir are gaining recognition among various stakeholders. These initiatives promote multifunctional land use by creating diverse microhabitats within the reservoir (e.g species-rich meadows and wet microhabitats). On the other hand landowners managing agricultural land within the Brdnikova reservoir frequently face challenges including flooding and sedimentation, which leads to crop losses, reduction in soil productivity, and financial burdens associated with land restoration and sediment removal. Such disruptions that limit or complicate agricultural activities often lead to resistance against further measures among private land owners. The lack of meaningful involvement of farmers in planning processes and inadequate financial compensation mechanisms further deepen the divide and limit the willingness of landowners to support the implementation of multifunctional land use within the reservoir.

To address these challenges effectively, it is essential to adopt transdisciplinary approaches that integrate historical analyses, local knowledge, and scientific expertise of different fields. Transparent compensation mechanisms that fairly address the direct and indirect impacts on farmers are critical to building trust and fostering cooperation. Only through balanced and inclusive strategies sustainable outcomes that harmonize flood protection, agricultural productivity, and ecological conservation can be achieved.

 

Acknowledgements: This research was funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) with a grant to the Ph.D. student Nejc Golob, project ARIS BI-AT-22-23-019, LIFE ReStart and OEAD WTZ SI 01/2023.