About

 

Kujawsko-Pomorskie province lies in north-central Poland. One of 16 provinces in Poland, it is bordered by the provinces of Warmińsko-Mazurskie to the northeast, Pomorskie to the north, Mazowieckie to the east, Łódzkie to the south, and Wielkopolskie to the southwest. It is a predominantly low-lying, agricultural region with the Vistula (Wisła), Drwęca, Brda, Wda, and Noteć as its main rivers. 

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The main challenge in the region is the lack of public awareness and substantive public debate on the threat of diminishing freshwater resources. Multi-level cooperation between public-social-private actors needs to be strengthened in order to improve the hydrological conditions of the region and increase the resilience of the economy to risks and natural disasters. The Region’s activities will help institutions and citizens co-design the future of sustainable water resources, e.g. in the Baltic Sea region. With the involvement of local partners the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region will promote social innovation, a culture of sustainable water use, education and training activities and launch citizen science campaigns, in line with the objectives of EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” – Public mobilisation and Engagement.

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What are the project’s priorities? 

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The crucial problem encountered in Kujawsko-Pomorskie region is ineffective water management and droughts which have a direct impact on agriculture. This is a huge issue particularly as 10% of Poland's agricultural crop production comes from the region. The water balance in the area is under threat from heavy rainfall leading to flooding and soil erosion, from high evaporation of soil moisture due to higher than average temperatures, and also from wind erosion. Therefore priorities within this project are to increase awareness of this issue and rise the role of local communities and stakeholders in water and wetland restoration and protection.

 

Within the scope of DANUBE4all, it is planned to equip authorities and decision makers with the relevant knowledge and competence to engage civil society and communities to implement a project on small-scale retention. Focus will be paid to societal objectives in particular, embracing and strengthening public acceptance of, and interest in, freshwater ecosystem restoration. Representatives of the Department of Agriculture and Geodesy and Departments responsible for spatial planning and environmental protection will be involved in the exchange/review of good practices of the Danube area, as well as in policy instrumention and participation in thematic workshops, study visits and regional meetings. 

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Solutions learnt will be systematically integrated into regional programmes. 

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How will the learnings from DANUBE4all help the project in its river restoration goals? 

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The DANUBE4all project will support regional authorities in effectively engaging communities and civil society organisations in the management of river and wetland restoration. It will also help identify the best tools and strategies for effective public-private-community partnerships to co-create effective conservation, monitoring and financing solutions for rivers and wetlands

 

Aims to counteract the effects of drought:

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• Slowing down the outflow of water in the catchment

• Retention of water in the periods of heavy rains

• Protection of existing ecosystems especially hydrogenic habitats

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All these shall be acheived by raising awareness of the stakeholders as well as new investments, modernization of the exisitng water and drainage devices. These measure will be supported by theidentification and involvement of local/regional stakeholders, the exchange of experiences and good practices within the DANUBE4all project (via study visits, seminars), and the presentation of best practice water management examples and the economic use of rivers in Kujawsko-Pomorskie and project partners’ regions.

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Three expert workshops on improving water management in agriculture and restoration solutions in cooperation with local stakeholders will be held, as well as the provision of information and promotional activities via a public information and citizen science campaign. Planning for the improvement of policy instruments (ERDF regional programme, Community Led Local Development strategies) will also be instrumental in the preparation of the long-term sustainable management roadmap for the region.