The Region of Southern Denmark is one of the five regions in Denmark and covers more than 12.000 m2 of southern Jutland and 39 islands of which the biggest is Funen.
There are 22 municipalities in the region with over 1,2 million citizens. The main task is healthcare services but very important part of regions mission is regional development within education, culture, environment as well as development of city-regions, urban and rural areas in close cooperation with municipalities. The Region of Southern Denmark is governed by the Regional Council, which consists of 41 elected officials.
Regions geography stretches over many forms of landscapes. Catchments for the rivers and coast follows the landscape and expands over the boundaries of municipalities. The Odense River and Fjord catchment is the largest catchment on the Funen island and it’s shared by five municipalities. ARCADIA supports cooperation and cross-sectoral work in order to secure good ecological condition in the water of the fjord.
The Region of Southern Denmark contributes to ARCADIAs WP5 – Model Region Funen. The Region has participated in several climate projects and has a large national and international network within climate adaptation. That gives great opportunity to share knowledge and exchange experiences and results with other projects. Using national climate alliance framework (Klimaalliancen) the Region can involve local decision makers and politicians.
The Region supports the holistic approach used in Odense River and Fjord catchment and expects that nature-based solutions can be a main player in reducing the challenges with the aquatic environment in Odense Fjord. Furthermore, nature-based solutions obligates to close cooperation across sectors, authorities and the research institutions in order reduce climate change impact but also added values in form of recreational areas and increased biodiversity.
Odense Municipality is the lead coordinator of WP5 – Model Region Funen with the responsibility to coordinate and manage the work across the Danish partners. With the municipality’s high ambitions of a green and resilient community, – climate-neutral by 2030 and climate-adapted by 2050 according to Odense Municipality’s Climate Adaptation Plan 2023 – the ARCADIA project will support and amplify the work already going on. As part of the project, Odense Municipality will be facilitating three Co-Innovation Labs focused on sustainable urban drainage, cross-cutting collaboration and catchment-based approaches.
To support future implementation of nature-based solutions, Odense Municipality is developing a Water Cycle Master Plan. Nature-based solutions require collaboration across sectors to be multifunctional, providing several benefits at the same time, and supporting natural processes. Through ARCADIA, Odense Municipality will promote water management inspired by nature.