Wednesday 2nd of july – 14:00
14:00
Restoring large river ecosystems through collaborative institutions. Dare to dream?
AUTHORS
LEWIS Nathalie, DUMARCHER Amélie, RUIZ Julie
Canada
Short Abstract: Between the cities of Trois-Rivières and Montreal, in Quebec (Canada), the St. Lawrence River widens to form a “lake”. Lake Saint-Pierre is a huge river ecosystem (50,000 ha) that is in an alarming state due to its location and multiple uses. The aim of this project is to contribute to the eventual implementation of sustainable management of the shoreline of Lake Saint-Pierre. To this end, we began by analysing the implementation of large-scale concerted ecosystem restoration initiatives involving a wide range of heterogeneous stakeholders. The aim was to gain a better understanding of the initial contexts of these projects and the processes and drivers that influence their implementation. To achieve this, we analysed ten cases of concerted rehabilitation of large ecosystems in North America and Europe, in order to stay within management contexts relatively comparable to that of Quebec. This first step resulted in a rich modelling exercise that allowed us to define an analytical framework and a solid approach to tackle the case of Lake Saint-Pierre. We then met with key stakeholders in Lake Saint-Pierre to discuss these results and compare them with the reality on the ground. Beyond the individual conclusions and lessons learned from these many cases, we are interested in an overall approach to the management and cooperation of these ecosystems, with their many heterogeneous stakeholders, in order to draw lessons for the management of the shoreline of Lake Saint-Pierre.
14:20
From ecological restoration to a “territory project”: a social science perspective on stakeholder involvement in Rhône ecological restoration projects
AUTHORS
PICARD Elsa, COTTET Marylise, BARTHÉLÉMY Carole, MORANDI Bertrand, COSTAZ Isabelle
France
Short Abstract: Since their inception in the 1990s, ecological restoration projects on the Rhône river have brought together a wide range of stakeholders in their governance. More recently, these efforts toward institutional collaboration have expanded to include new stakeholders (inhabitants, users, NGOs), as the scope of technical projects has evolved. This presentation explores river restoration practices from a sociological and geographical perspective, focusing on stakeholder involvement in project design. It is based on a mixed methodology: thematic workshops bringing together practitioners to collectively analyze the trade-offs involved and the effects of adopting stakeholder association approaches, as well as a series of individual interviews to understand the influence of individual trajectories on the implementation of these approaches. The initial results reveal a diversity of postures regarding stakeholders’ involvement, which is justified on three grounds: obligation, collective learning or moral values. These dynamics appear to be partly related to the professional trajectories of restoration stakeholders. This profoundly influences the objectives of restoration projects, turning them into “territory projects”. These processes vary according to the local context and reflect the growing concern of project managers to integrate ecological and social issues, thereby contributing to the transformation of restoration projects.
14:40
Social utility for the ecological restoration of the Rhône : feedback and comparative approach to 3 projects
AUTHORS
CHEMERY Jean baptiste, GUÉRIN Stéphane, LAFFONT Yoann, HENRY Claire, SALHI Nedjma, MOIROUD Christophe
France
Short Abstract: This paper is based on a comparative approach to the implementation of three projects to restore the river dynamics of the Rhône. These projects share an environmental objective, aimed at the (re)creation of diversified river environments that bear witness to these dynamics, as well as a hydromorphological approach that inspires their technical implementation. In terms of interaction with the local residents and users of the restoration sites, they have also adopted the same socio-political approach, designed to encourage local ownership of the projects, and in this way renewing the consultation practices previously implemented by their common contracting authority, the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR). This series of invariants provides an opportunity to examine the various factors that are more or less conducive to the process of accommodating these projects to the views and practices of the populations concerned. Before drawing some lessons from a comparative reading of these three cases, this article recalls the ambitions and broad outlines of these projects, before presenting the social interaction method mobilized on this occasion.
15:00
Community engagement activities – a powerful tool in river ecosystem management
AUTHORS
GARIBOVIĆ Taida, POPOVIĆ DUJMOVIĆ Irma
Croatia
Short Abstract: Nature conservation in Croatia is still mainly straightforward, with public institutions – the protected area authorities – responsible for managing protected areas. Including community stakeholders in the management process is still not mainstreamed into nature conservation. Through the “United for Rivers” Initiative, we have implemented various community engagement activities before and after the establishment of protected areas on the Mrežnica River in Croatia. Through online questionnaires, telephone interviews, focus groups, and workshops tailored for specific stakeholder groups, we have acquired valuable information about people and their connection to the river on one hand, and on the other hand, we managed to foster a sense of joint responsibility about the protection of this valuable ecosystem. Our stakeholders are willing to engage in the management and preservation of a protected area. These activities, which are not just one-time events but are part of an ongoing process, have been carefully designed and implemented to keep the community actively involved in river ecosystem preservation.
15:20
Community Participation in River Restoration in the UK – Case Study from the River Lowther
AUTHORS
Varley Martin
United-Kingdom
Short Abstract: All too often river restoration is done to local communities rather than with them. Consultations, if they are done at all, take information and local knowledge without giving anything back. Power for decision making is retained by those least impacted by the consequences of those decisions and local knowledge is ignored in favour of expert opinion. Local communities are perceived as not being equipped to contribute to complicated decision-making. Communities become disenfranchised from agents of power, disconnected from their environment, and feel threatened by the inevitable change which the future brings. As a result, instead of being seen as a hero, river and nature restoration has become the villain in a drama played out between conservationists and local communities, where the biodiversity and climate crisis is the victim. This case study explores an alternative approach taken as part of a river restoration project on the river Lowther in northern England. Following a breach of the river’s flood banks in February 2024 a participatory action research approach was taken to try and engage the local community in the restoration process. Over a 6-month period communities were invited to taken an active part in planning the restoration process, including them in the decision making process in order to improve outcomes for the community, nature and climate.