Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Rivers are the supporters of some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Yet, in Europe, they have been subjected to severe degradation over centuries which impacted not just the river itself but the whole catchment and floodplain. There has been argued that in order to steer river management towards more sustainable direction it will require transdisciplinary research with diverse stakeholders. This could prevent injustice in source and flood risk distribution and can contribute to a just distribution of ecosystem services. Public Participation Geographical Information Systems (PPGIS) present itself as an effective tool in revealing stakeholders’ values and collecting local knowledge. This study applies and explores PPGIS as a tool in the design process of planning for flood and stormwater resiliency in the Kävlinge river catchment. The different methods used in this thesis study are literature, GIS site analyses, site visit, PPGIS survey and designing. The study found that PPGIS contributed to the design process by revealing local experiences, identifying a priority area, and generating new solutions to improve the environmental quality of the study area. This study shows that PPGIS is a promising tool in river catchment management if improvements are made to target more and a varied group of respondents.