Reconciling flood-risk management with nature protection law: the promise of nature-based solutions

Anne Lansink and Bente de Leeuw

Chapter 25 in Research Handbook on EU Water Law, 2026, pp 443-466 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter explores the interaction between EU flood-risk management and nature protection law. It is argued that the two areas could, in principle, be reconciled, in part due to the existence of Articles 6(3) and 6(4) of the Habitats Directive. However, nature conservation law is likely to affect flood-risk management in the process, both as regards who or what to protect against floods and as regards the types of measures that should be adopted. Nature-based solutions show relatively high potential to combine both objectives. Not only are they more likely to pass the test of Articles 6(3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive, but they may also help complete the EU network of protected areas, increase its coherence, improve the condition of existing Natura 2000 sites, contribute to achieving the objectives of the Nature Restoration Regulation and help create the circumstances in which protected animal and plant species can flourish. However, it is essential that nature-based solutions focus on local conservation objectives. Failure to do so would prove ineffective at best, and, in the worst-case scenario, would result in harm to protected nature, thereby jeopardising the objectives of nature conservation law.

Keywords: Flood-Risk Management; Nature Protection; Floods Directive; Birds and Habitats Directives; Nature Restoration Regulation; Nature-Based Solutions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035336425
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035336432.00040 (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 403 Forbidden

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:23444_25

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().