Towards a robust and well-functioning Rhine River system that can sustainably provide its geo-ecosystem services

The policy programme Integrated River Management (IRM) aims to anticipate climate change and to redress the negative consequences of earlier river engineering interventions. Its objective is to first and foremost ensure a well-functioning river system that can provide its essential ‘public’ geo-ecosystem services: safe discharge of floods, reliable freshwater supply, reliable waterways to the hinterland, and good conditions for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in the floodplains and beyond. Challenges, however, relate to the changing discharge regime resulting from climate change, and to the conflicting requirements of the various river functions and values. These pose real dilemmas about when to act, how to act, which function or value to support and which one to curb.