A holistic catchment‐scale framework to guide flood and drought mitigation towards improved biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing

Haubrock, PJ, Stubbington, R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8475-5109, Fohrer, N, Hollert, H, Jähnig, SC, Merz, B, Pahl‐Wostl, C, Schüttrumpf, H, Tetzlaff, D, Wesche, K, Tockner, K and Haase, P, 2025. A holistic catchment‐scale framework to guide flood and drought mitigation towards improved biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing. WIREs Water, 12 (1): e70001. ISSN 2049-1948

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Abstract

As climatic extremity intensifies, a fundamental rethink is needed to promote the sustainable use of freshwater resources. Both floods and droughts, including water scarcity, are exacerbating declines in river biodiversity and ecosystem services, with consequences for both people and nature. Although this is a global challenge, densely populated regions such as Europe, East Asia and North-America, as well as the regions most affected by climate change, are particularly vulnerable. To date mitigation measures have mainly focused on individual, local-scale targets, often neglecting hydrological connectivity within catchments and interactions among hydrology, biodiversity, climate change and human wellbeing. A comprehensive approach is needed to improve water infiltration, retention and groundwater recharge, thereby mitigating the impacts of heavy rainfall and floods as well as droughts and water scarcity. We propose a holistic catchment-scale framework that combines mitigation measures including conventional civil engineering methods, nature-based solutions and biodiversity conservation actions. This framework integrates legislation, substantial funding and a governance structure that transcends administrative and discipline boundaries, enabling coordinated actions across multiple spatial and temporal scales. It necessitates the collaboration of local and regional stakeholders including citizens, scientists and practitioners. A holistic vision for the sustainable management of freshwater resources could have synergistic effects that support biodiversity and mitigate climate change within functional ecosystems that deliver benefits to people.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	WIREs Water
Creators:	Haubrock, P.J., Stubbington, R., Fohrer, N., Hollert, H., Jähnig, S.C., Merz, B., Pahl‐Wostl, C., Schüttrumpf, H., Tetzlaff, D., Wesche, K., Tockner, K. and Haase, P.
Publisher:	Wiley
Date:	January 2025
Volume:	12
Number:	1
ISSN:	2049-1948
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1002/wat2.70001 DOI 2333231 Other
Rights:	© 2025 the author(s). WIREs Water published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	09 Jan 2025 09:26
Last Modified:	09 Jan 2025 09:26
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52823

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