– Collecting or diverting water shouldn't be so complicated, but there are many laws that regulate this. The changing climate places great demands on the ability to prevent drought and flooding. We are now making a significant investment to raise competence on the issue in Gotland.
It says Susanne Welin-Berger, project manager for Gotland Green Center's new project ”Sustainable Water for the Future.”.
The project has received nearly 1.7 million kronor in project support from Leader Gute and is now underway with its work.
– The starting point for the project is that there is too little and too much water at different times of the year in Gotland. We need to develop sustainable solutions to eliminate the excess during rainy autumns and store the winter's surplus for the summer's drought, says Susanne Welin-Berger.
– For this to happen, competence must be raised among all the actors involved in the issue of managing water in nature and land on the island. It is this competence enhancement and increased collaboration among all actors that the project aims for, says Christina Huhtasaari, agronomist and expert on water issues who has been connected to the project.
Several organizations related to the water issue on the island are participating in the project, including the County Administrative Board, Gotland Blue Center, the Agricultural Society, and the Eastern Gotland Water Council. Additionally, landowners are involved through LRF Gotland, the Church of Sweden, and individual landowners with experience in water projects.
Collect and disseminate information
The first step in the project is to collect existing information, knowledge, experience, and inspiration regarding the water issue. From both national and international sources as well as from Gotlandic actors.
– We will continuously make this material available in the form of texts and videos via a dedicated subpage on Gotland Green Center's website. It will become a knowledge bank divided into the areas of irrigation, ponds, ditches & drainage, and wetlands. Under each area, we will also include information about current legislation, says Susanne Welin-Berger.
– On the page, we have also started to build a list of Gotlandic entrepreneurs in water, so that advisors and landowners can more easily find contractors.
Seminars and ten local challenges
The goal is to get landowners, advisors, and entrepreneurs to collectively absorb new knowledge and put it into practice. That is, to develop new competence in the water issue.
– To achieve this, we will, among other things, organize seminars. We will also identify and work with ten local challenges related to water, where lessons from the solutions can serve as model value for others who want to do the same, says Susanne Welin-Berger.
– We will also work out a proposal for a model for how, after the project, knowledge that is developed privately, publicly, and voluntarily can continue to be shared.
Want to connect with several actors
The project is now seeking contact with several actors and engaged individuals regarding water issues on the island.
– We want to get in touch with several advisors with knowledge and experience in water, several entrepreneurs who might fit into our list, and actors and individuals with challenges, ideas, and experiences regarding the water issue on the island, says Christina Huhtasaari.
– On the website, everyone can access the material that the project has collected so far and the activities that will gradually start. And think through which questions and ideas one might contribute. We want to have a broad dialogue with those who are affected by and work with the increasingly important issue of water in Gotland's nature and lands, says Susanne Welin-Berger.
Direct link to ”Sustainable Water for the Future”: bit.ly/3UBByqQ