Synergies and Conflicts Between Water Framework Directive and Natura 2000: Legal Requirements, Technical Guidance and Experiences from Practice - Wetlands and Water Framework Directive: Protection, Management and Climate Change - page 25

A good example of cooperation between water management and nature conser-
vation is the practice-oriented , which was developed in

Southern Germany (Landshut in Bavaria). The basis of this model was developed
within a project for restoration of river banks along the river

“ Landshuter Modell ”

started in
1995. The water management administration of Landshut and the Government of
Lower Bavaria, division of nature conservation, established a successful cooperation
during a longer process of planning and implementation partly together with addi-
tional partners (Schacht and Lorenz 2013 , p. 1). The model shows concrete starting-
points and de

“ Gro ß e Laber ”

nes a method for the future cooperation between the different
authorities and stakeholders. This comprises, e.g., coordination of priorities as
regards content, financial and personnel capacities and responsibilities before the

kick-off of the project as well as the joint preparation of the scope of services for
speci

c planning tasks and the invitation for offers for project implementation.
Insofar, it substantiates the current RBMPs regarding the coordinated implementa-
tion with nature conservation on the local and regional level. The “ Landshuter

Modell integrates the Natura 2000 management planning and the planning tasks

according to WFD in one plan for development of the ecological functions of surface
waters (Schacht and Lorenz 2013 , p. 4 et seq.). Following this model, four so-called
“

”

” “Ö ”

ecological development concepts ( kologische Entwicklungskonzepte ,

“Ö ”

) were established at the Isar, the Danube and the Vils between 2003 and
2013. In contrast to traditional sectoral water plans the “Ö EK ” provide area-wide
mapping of biotope types and differentiated faunistic and

EK

floristic investigations, and
thus allow for the requirements of Natura 2000 management planning. Vice versa,
they overcome the restrictions of Natura 2000 management planning widening their
content and spatial scope with regard to the needs of the WFD. On this basis,
planning procedures and approvals for the implementation of the designated mea-
sures are easier to coordinate. The

fl

“ Landshuter Modell ” is judged to be a successful

model since it has made possible and simpli cult

process of coordination between nature conservation and water management. The
early coordination of the cooperating administrations as well as an intensive inte-
gration of the public and stakeholders are stressed positively. The experiences made
show that extensive cooperation allows for more profound solutions as regards
con

ed the often intensive and dif

icting contents and later on for faster planning processes on subsequent plan-
ning levels. Therefore, the approach of the

fl

for planning and
cooperation seems suitable to be applied to the implementation of RBMP.

“ Landshuter Modell ”

2.5 Conclusions

All in all, an analysis of the regulations and the river basin management plans of the

first planning phase of the WFD has shown that considerably more synergies than
con ed between the objectives of the WFD and those of the

environmental conservation. Both instruments focus on the ecosystem, on the

fl icts can be identi