AG6 Policy Recommendations: Current Issues of Alpine Water Management
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Alpine water bodies face growing challenges from climate change, overuse, and mismanagement. While the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC) and the Swiss Water Protection Act (GSchG) provide a solid legal framework, in the Alpine macro-region progress in environmental quality and sustainable water management are often hindered by fragmented governance, insufficient monitoring, and weak source-control measures.
These policy recommendations identify five key domains requiring action, considering both their feasibility and the potential role of EUSALP in facilitating their implementation. Since water management involves different levels of governance, the policy recommendations address diverse stakeholders.
EUSALP can play a valuable role by promoting macro-regional cooperation in shared basins, supporting the replication and upscaling of successful projects, leveraging the newly adopted Water Resilience Strategy as a call for macro-regional action, and thereby highlighting the strategic role of the Alpine region for European water resilience.
The following recommendations are proposed:
1. Step up action to reduce pollution
Target: National authorities
2. Increase investment in Alpine water basin monitoring and early warning strategies for Alpine source areas
Target: National and Regional authorities
3. Promote regionally coordinated Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Alpine water bodies
Target: Regional and Local authorities
4. Strengthen macro-regional governance for water management
Target: Regional and Local authorities
5. Provide tailored funding for water resilience in the Alps
Target: National and Regional authorities
The Policy Recommendations have been elaborated by the members of the Actions Groups of EUSALP, reflect the expertise of the AGs members and are meant for voluntary implementation by the decision makers when it comes to the Alpine Region.