Contact day Climapolder congress

The Province of West-Flanders, the West-Flemish Waterboards and ILVO are pleased to announce the CLIMAPOLDER congress. We want to connect European water managers and policymakers working in different low-lying regions that were once reclaimed from the sea.

Situated at the interface of land and sea, regions reclaimed from the sea (“polder”) are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to their unique characteristics of altitude, soil and land use. Climate change presents itself in multiple ways, including sea-level rise and a higher frequency of storm surges, droughts and peak precipitation. The ensuing impacts of these climate changes on local water management become increasingly apparent and are intricately entangled, putting pressure on local ecosystems, public safety and economic and agricultural activities. Hence polder regions face challenges such as restrained (gravitational) drainage, extremely variable flow rates, salinization, limited fresh water supply, balance between water for nature and use for agricultural activities, etc.

• Topic: climate-proof water management in European regions reclaimed from the sea
• Why: regions reclaimed from the sea are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to their unique characteristics, thus in need of innovative solutions adapted to and built upon these same characteristics
• What: lectures, workshops, interregional learning and field visits – finding solutions together!
• Who: coastal water boards and associated local governments, research & knowledge organizations
• Where: City of Bruges, Belgium
• When: from Monday 11th of March until Wednesday 13th of March 2024 (three days)