Synergies and trade-offs in the management of lowland rural floodplains: an ecosystem services approach

Priorities for the management of lowland rural floodplains in many parts of Europe have changed from a focus on agricultural production towards multi-functional landscapes that provide a range of environmental, social and economic benefits to society. This paper uses an ecosystem services framework to explore alternative management scenarios with different objectives (production, biodiversity, floodwater storage, agri-environment and income) for two rural floodplains in England. Each scenario featured different types of land cover and hydrological management. The results revealed the key role of the hydrological regime in shaping ecosystem service provision in floodplains. Both conflicts and synergies were apparent. Scenarios with deep water tables and low flood frequencies had high scores for agricultural production and flood storage capacity, but low scores for environmental outcomes. Scenarios with shallow water tables and frequent flooding showed high scores for environmental and cultural outcomes, but at the cost of a reduced flood storage capacity and increased flood risk. The scope for multiple benefits has implications for the realignment of policies to realize extra value from floodplain ecosystems.