Preserving geoheritage and stimulating nature-based solutions in floodplain environments through stakeholder engagement. A case study from Flanders, Belgium

River floodplains are gaining much attention in recent years, not only in research but also in policy. Many river systems in Europe have faced dramatic floods over the last few years and nature based solutions such as 'room for water' have been proposed as a more appropriate policy compared to hard technological measures such as the construction of artificial levees. Furthermore, in order to capture and store more carbon in the soil, rewetting of floodplains, after these have been drained for centuries, is now a key tool in many restoration projects. Restoration of rivers, floodplains and peatland environments in general is a key aspect of the EU Nature Restoration Law. However, working out these concepts in practice is not straightforward as many local and regional stakeholders (farmers, residents, local politicians, ...) need to be convinced as they have to change their daily use of the floodplain. Furthermore, little knowlegde is available amongst the stakeholers about former floodplain landscape properties and what the optimal restoration targets are. Hence, there is a risk that during poor-conceived restoration projects, important geo- and cultural heritage features still preserved in the floodplain landscape are being damaged or obliterated. Constant dialogue between scientists, non-governmental stakeholders and policy makers is therefore required before new restoration projects are implemented. Here, we present a case-study on a selection of Belgian floodplains were a key aspect of an interdisciplinary research project (geomorphology, history, archaeology) on historical floodplain development included stakeholders from the conception of the project to the final dessimination of the results. Stakeholders co-developed the project and are also facilitating the communication of research results to the wider public through expositions, open lectures and a landscape biography of river landscapes targeted at a non-scientific audience. This way, both the natural functioning of river systems as well as the important heritage value floodplains have are shared with all stakeholders.