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Urban flood plains – optimised management strategies in the face of conflicting ecological and socio-economic demands

THOMAS HEIN^1,2, ALFRED P. BLASCHKE³, GERTRUD HAIDVOGL², SEVERIN HOHENSINNER², WALTER RECKENDORFER⁴, KARL REITER⁴, BERND SCHUH⁵ & GABRIELE WEIGELHOFER^1,4

1 Wasserkluster Lunz GmbH, Inter University Center for Water Research, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria

thomas.hein@boku.ac.at

2 Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, Department of Water – Atmosphere – Environment, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Max Emanuel-Strasse 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria

3 Institute for Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering, Technical University of Vienna, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, Austria.

4 Vienna Ecology Center, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria

5 ÖIR - Austrian Institute for Regional Studies and Spatial Planning, Franz-Josefs-Kai 27, 1010 Vienna, Austria

Abstract Beside their ecological value, urban flood plains often provide a wide range of socio-economic services, which may be in conflict with their ecological development. New management strategies are needed in order to protect these areas and preserve the potential for future socio-economic utilisations. The Lobau, an urban flood plain of the Danube within the city limits of Vienna, has undergone severe changes during the last 130 years. The aim of the project “Optima Lobau” is to identify the best-compromise solution for a sustainable management perspective for the Lobau, with the help of a multi-criteria decision aid system. Basically, scenarios are created to evaluate potential management approaches based on hydraulic engineering measures. Sub-scenarios are differentiated according to the maximum development of one dominating ecological and socio-economic demand and will be evaluated with the help of interlinked hydro-morphological, ecological and socio-economic models.

Key words biodiversity; Danube River Basin; ecosystem functions; ecosystem modelling; ecosystem services; flood plain; multi criteria decision aid system; socioeconomic demands; sustainable management