WaterCoG – Water Co-Governance for sustainable ecosystems

WaterCoG is a collaborative project between a number of partners and stakeholders from Sweden, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK to gain insight into the extent to which effective stakeholder and community participation in water management (co-governance) can ensure a sustainable and long-term approach to managing ecosystems in the North Sea Region (NSR) by improving the implementation of key environmental objectives, such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD). https://northsearegion.eu/watercog/

Name of the subsidy program

INTERREG North Sea Region(NSR) is a transnational programme. The programme on cooperation between different countries located on the North Sea coast. The overall objective of the programme to stimulate innovation and sustainable economic growth in the North Sea region. Sharing and bringing together expertise, ideas, and strategies from different countries leads to more innovative and smarter solutions to shared problems. The programme co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The budget of theEuropean Regional Development Fund(ERDF) for INTERREG NSR 2014-2020 is €167 million.

Project objectives

Through effective participation by water management authorities and stakeholders (co-governance), WaterCoG aims to develop more sustainable and longer-term approaches to managing ecosystems in the North Sea Region (NSR) in order to improve the implementation of key environmental objectives such as the Water Framework Directive (WFD) at the local level.

Contribution from HHNK

Concrete deliverable results

  • On Texel, farmers measure the salt content in their ditches themselves and archive this in a database in order to learn and come up with solutions together.
  • Climate stress tests are being carried out in collaboration with municipalities in order to develop climate adaptation measures.
  • A climate atlashttps://hhnk.klimaatatlas.net/
  • Training program in collaboration with Hanze University of Applied Sciences
  • Database containing procedural and physical tools for developing climate-proof measures in urban areas

Location

HHNK's activities take place in all municipalities in the management area.

Partners

WaterCoG has nine partners from five different member states (UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands):

  • The River Trust (UK)
  • Seges (DK)
  • Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SE)
  • Oldenburg-East Frisian Water Association (DL)
  • Local Government Denmark (DK)
  • Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen (NL)
  • Municipality of Aalborg (DK)
  • The Skagerrak & Kattegat Water District Authority (SE)

Budget

The total cost of the activities within this Interreg cooperation project amounts to €3,380,550. HHNK's share of the costs is €430,000. Of this, Europe (Interreg) is subsidizing €215,000 and the Province of North Holland €64,500.

Duration of the project

The project started on January 1, 2016, and is expected to run until October 31, 2019.

Want to know more?

Please contact the Water Board's Subsidy Coordination Team using thecontact formor by calling 072 582 8282.