Can Natura 2000 Sites Benefit from River Basin Management Planning Under a Changing Climate? Lessons from Germany - Wetlands and Water Framework Directive: Protection, Management and Climate Change - page 42

be analysed how best to achieve a signi cant increase in participation in the future

in regions with low participation also in order to know that the interests of nature

conservation are more strongly represented among the local population (Stratmann
et al. 2012b , p. 118).
In the opinions expressed formal, procedure-related and content-related aspects
were addressed. The range of suggestions encompassed all topics touched upon by
the WFD. A few management plans chose to document the opinions and technical
suggestions through combining an aggregated summary of the most important
aspects with a tabular list of all opinions received, and including also the admin-
istrative decisions as to how these opinions were integrated into planning. It was,
however, not possible to detect any nature conservation focuses among the tech-
nical suggestions submitted (Stratmann et al. 2012b , p. 118).

—

3.3.3 RBMP As a Tool for Achieving WFD Objectives
in a Changing Climate

Management planning offers many possible ways to adapt watercourses and
groundwater, and their uses, to a changing climate. On the one hand, it is possible to
in

uence the quantity and quality of water that will be available and be used in the
future. On the other hand, the adaptation requirements of water-dependent habitats
and species can be ful

fl

lled.
Climate change issues are not explicitly mentioned in the WFD regulations that
came into force in the year 2000. In the meantime, dealing with the effects of
climate change is seen as one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century (cf.
Schuchardt et al. 2008 ). Scenarios of the global effects of climate change (cf. IPCC
2007 ) and their regionalisation (e.g. Endlicher and Gerstengarbe 2007 ) prove that
for long-term strategies and measures there is an urgent need for action. The field of

water management is particularly affected, because consequences for both water
quality and water quantity are expected, accompanied by changes in ecological
status, usability and the occurrence of extreme events such as

flooding and low
water levels (LAWA 2010 ). The report of the European Environment Agency on
“

fl

expresses the belief that in the light
of climate change there is urgent need for European water management issues to be
integrated with climate change adaptation measures (cf. EEA 2007 ). Taking into
account climate change requires an integrated view of ecological and chemical
water status and other

Climate Change and Water Adaptation Issues ”

fields such as fl flood risk management and land-use man-

agement (BMU 2007 ).
The European Commission has published two documents with far-reaching
recommendations for CC adaptation: The Policy Paper

“

Climate Change and

Water ” (EC 2008 ) and the Guidance Document No. 24 —“ River Basin Management

in a Changing Climate (EC 2009 ). In general, it is stated in the documents that the

step-wise and cyclical approach of the WFD makes it well suited to handle climate

”