TURQUOISE is an interdisciplinary research project on the potential of blue-green strategies for climate adaptation. Persistent droughts between 2017 and 2021 have made it clear that Flanders is insufficiently prepared for water scarcity and droughts.
The TURQUOISE project aims at a proactive approach to increase water availability. To better plan, implement and scale up blue-green solutions, more knowledge is needed about 1) the effectiveness (and side-effects) of measures on both local and larger scales and 2) how much is needed to reduce the drought risk to an acceptable level. Concretely, TURQUOISE wants to develop a decision-support framework and test it in practice to facilitate planning and increase the implementation rate of blue-green adaptation strategies.
TURQUOISE focuses on four blue-green solutions in rural areas:
- restoration of (former) depressional wetlands
- controlled hydraulic (drainage) systems
- field infiltration ponds
- infiltration reservoirs with active intake from rivers for irrigation and groundwater recharge
TURQUOISE started in October 2021, runs for 4 years and receives financial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO). In TURQUOISE, the University of Antwerp works together with KULeuven and ILVO.
- Promotor: Patrick Meire
- Team UAntwerp: Jan Staes, Steven Van Passel, Jan Cools, Vincent Bellinkx, Sam Vermeulen
- External partners: KULeuven (Patrick Willems, Jan Vanderborght) and ILVO (Sarah Garré, Jeroen De Waegemaeker, Sylvie Fosselle)
- Duration: 2021-2025
- Financing: Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) – SBO-type project