Workshop 1 in Flanders
On March 20th, Flanders held its first workshop, led by the Vlaamse Landmaatschappij.
The workshop was integrated into the Program Bureau ‘Weerbaar Waterlandschap’ with the topic of ‘agricultural transition’. The Weerbaar Waterlandschap Program focusses on four areas in Flanders: ‘Bovenloop Ijzer’, ‘Herk en Mombeek’, ‘Midden Zuid West-Vlaanderen’ and ‘Stroomgebied Wissenbos’. The goal of the program is to address water issues in rural areas, in collaboration with stakeholders such as farmers, businesses, residents, and landscape managers.
The intended outcomes include a stronger agriculture sector, sustainable water resources, good water quality, collection of excess water both in built-up areas and natural systems, and a resilient local landscape. In doing so, the program takes into account the additional stress that climate change puts on the water system.
During the day, three clusters were highlighted:
- How do climate-resilient measures fit into economic earning models?
- Which physical preconditions or system properties are crucial to initiate transition?
- What land use should an area-specific approach pursue to achieve climate-resilient sponge landscapes? During this 3rd cluster, the PLUS Change project was presented to almost 80 participants.