The people of Velvary joined the LIFE WILL project. They decided how they will improve their landscape
Published: Nov 20, 2023 Reading time: 3 minutes
At the beginning of November, in cooperation with the Velvary Town Hall, we organised a workshop entitled Water Retention in the Velvary Landscape. Dozens of citizens, together with the town administration, local farmers, landscapers and our colleagues, discussed possible improvements to the surrounding landscape. These improvements would enable the landscape to withstand the effects of climate change and inappropriate farming in the future.
"The question is not whether water will flood from here again but when it will. And it is better to be prepared and help the landscape to retain as much water as possible to protect Velvary," said Mayor Radim Wolák at the beginning of the event. Last year, he enrolled the town of Velvary in the LIFE WILL - Water in the Landscape and Soil project, to learn how to prevent similar natural disasters in the future.
It was the first time that this workshop was run in Velvary; it was previously run in Němcice, another pilot site. Three round tables pored over maps discussing which landscapes are most suitable for the Velvary area and which ones should be started as soon as possible. Floods, droughts, and wind erosion were addressed.
In addition, residents are concerned about the accumulation of rubbish around the village. Therefore, it will have to be cleaned up. The residents have made it clear that they want the landscape to be not only clean but also accessible— ideally interspersed with avenues and a network of paths and trails for walking and relaxing.
In the Velvarská záložna cultural centre, there were decided on the health of the surrounding landscape
The LIFE WILL project will increase the resilience of agricultural landscapes and their inhabitants to climate change. With the help of residents, we are implementing nature-based adaptation measures in three pilot sites.
One of the initial parts of the project in each location is interviews with local citizens, farmers, landowners, association members and others. Thus, in Velvary, in August and September, two researchers learned how local people perceive the landscape in the Svodnice River’s catchment area, what they like about it and what they miss.
At the same time, the experts mapped the state of the landscape and suggested measures that could help the state of the landscape. On Wednesday, November 1, the two inputs came together at a public meeting.
Svodnice will no longer be a threat to the town
At first glance, the Svodnice River seems gentle and harmless. However, it has in the past, spilled out of its bed because of its funnel-shaped terrain and the inability of soil to absorb large amounts of water from heavy rains. The local people have learned their lesson and intend to avoid flooding in the future.
"The people of Velvary are aware of the shortcomings of the area and came up with a number of ideas on how to improve the condition of the landscape during the meeting in Záložna," says Petr Nohava, a project manager with LIFE WILL. "We are taking away a number of suggestions and information from the discussion, and we will continue to work with the planners to prepare the measures that we agreed on with the participants," he adds.
The feedback on the proposed landscape measures will help the planners in elaborating a course of action. Property rights will also be addressed to make it clear where work can be implemented and to what extent. At the beginning of the new year, the local people will already be presented with concrete measures and, if everything goes well, they will see the first implementations in the same year.
Read more informations about the LIFE WILL ─ Water in Landscape and Soil project!
