Topic of this webinar: Across Europe, economic cost benefit analysis (CBA) is widely used to justify public investments and prioritize projects. Many EU member states have embedded CBA´s or similar instruments in their infrastructure planning processes. While some countries provide guidance on whether and how to execute CBA´s in specific contexts, there is little guidance on how to value Nature-based Solutions (NbS) or ecological restoration in a freshwater context specifically. In this webinar, we introduce an integrated approach that combines the hydrological model SWAT+ with ecosystem services monetary valuation to facilitate evaluation efforts. We demonstrate the impact of embedding a wide array of ecosystem services in an extended CBA rehabilitated river – and floodplain management strategies of the Rhine in the Netherlands, and finally demonstrate potential applications of such extended CBAs in waterways investment planning in Germany.

The webinar is open and free for anyone to join.