GroundedExtremes

Vision for the Future – Seeing Groundwater Drought through Each Others’ Lenses

Join us for a Scenario Planning Workshop to shape a shared vision for the future of groundwater in Noord Brabant. We will particularly focus on groundwater drought as a growing risk in the region and explore visions of the future through the perspective of different stakeholders.

Dutch

This workshop is a collaboration among researchers from VU Amsterdam, Wageningen University and Utrecht University, working on drought in the sandy soil region of the Netherlands in four research projects: GroundedExtremes, Reshape, RESTART’in and WaterScape — that aim to improve drought adaptation from a technical and governance point of view, particularly focusing on Noord Brabant, across the Dommel and Brabantse Delta catchments.

** This workshop will be held in Dutch and English. Some presentations will be in English, but it will be possible to hold discussions in Dutch.

Why this matters
Groundwater drought is an urgent and growing risk for our water systems, agriculture, ecosystems, and communities. Groundwater drought propagates and impacts water availability for agriculture and human consumption, as well as streamflow and dependent ecosystems. Tackling this challenge calls for collective insight and action — across stakeholder groups and governance levels. Curious to know how the other actors are seeing the future of groundwater drought in the region? Interested in sensing into this future with a shared vision?

What you can expect

A practical, futures-oriented approach: Using the 3 Horizons method, we will explore three futures: Horizon 1 – Business as Usual, Horizon 2 – Disruptive Innovation, and Horizon 3 – Ideal Future — to envision different groundwater drought futures for the region.

A unique space for collaboration: This is an opportunity to bring together different stakeholder perspectives, local knowledge, and experiences to create a common understanding. You will think collectively about the future in a way which leads to more effective action. You will identify where you are, where you want to be, and start a conversation on how to get there.

Concrete value for your work: Together, we will uncover shared risks, possible tipping points, and ideas for adaptation or mitigation. You will gain insights and new connections you can use directly in your own work while establishing a shared language for future thinking. You will also receive a copy of the co-produced scenarios. These narratives will support the formulation of stakeholder-informed adaptation strategies and provide a foundation for linking qualitative insights to quantitative water demand models.

Why this matters now
With events like the Delta and Land Subsidence Congresses filling up November, this workshop offers a unique space to unify those broader discussions into a vision for the future of groundwater drought in the region. There is enough knowledge and experience among a group of actors to envision this future together.

Who is invited
This session will bring together key actors across scales to co-develop actionable insights and future-oriented strategies for drought resilience in Noord Brabant, across the Dommel and Brabantse Delta watersheds. Invited actors include key stakeholders from ministries, provincial authorities, regional water boards, farmers associations, drinking water companies, nature conservation organisations, researchers, entrepreneurs, and homeowners associations.

When & where