Climate change and socio-economic developments will further increase the risk of floods and droughts. To prepare for these challenges, societies need to step up their investments in adaptation. Cross-border cooperation on adaptation is of crucial importance, as shown by recent disasters such as the 2021 floods in Western Europe.
While hydrological systems (e.g. river basins) often cross administrative borders (federal state or national), cooperation between these different parts is often insufficient. For example, interventions or adaptation measures upstream often have negative consequences for the risk on countries and communities downstream. Moreover, early-warning systems require accurate (real-time) data from upstream areas, which can be sensitive to share (e.g. reservoir levels). Lastly, emergency response greatly benefits from international cooperation. A lack of understanding and the absence of cooperation across borders hampers the design of effective adaptation strategies and policies.
Therefore, this session aims to increase our understanding of flood and drought management in transboundary contexts, including (international) river basins, aquifers and reservoirs. We encourage research in all parts of the disaster risk reduction cycle and on different spatial scales (international, regional and local).
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
1) Risk analysis of floods and/or droughts in small and large (international) river basins, including upstream/downstream cost and benefit dynamics;
2) Flood and drought forecasting, early-warning, and early-action systems to improve disaster preparedness;
3) Socio-economic disaster impact studies, such as those derived from (post-) disaster surveys, to increase knowledge on people’s behavior, disaster damages, response and recovery;
4) Challenges and opportunities in governance and integrated water resources management for transboundary aquifers and river basins;
5) The implementation and effectiveness (including co-benefits) of Nature-Based Solutions.
6) Case studies of international cooperation in flood and drought management.