Land4Flood 2025 - Call for papers

Dear friends and colleagues,

Politehnica University of Timisoara in cooperation with IWRA Land4Flood Task Force will organize the 2nd Land4Flood conference in Timişoara, Romania, from September 3rd to 5th, 2025, under the theme "Leveraging Nature-Based Solutions for Resilient Land and Flood Risk Management in Anthropocene". The conference will be hosted by the Department of Overland Communication Ways, Foundation and Cadastre.

The escalating impacts of climate change are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of flooding, leading to higher human and financial costs. Traditional flood defense mechanisms offer limited protection and can be effectively augmented with nature-based solutions that not only mitigate flood risks but also enhance ecosystem services, such as biodiversity and recreational spaces. Notably, these nature-based approaches typically require more land compared to conventional methods.

The forthcoming LAND4FLOOD conference is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights on maximizing water storage across catchments, including hinterlands, river floodplains, polders, and urban areas. This conference will particularly focus on the land as a critical element—examining its biophysical attributes, including hydrological components, its value as a socio-economic resource, and its strategic role in flood risk management.

We cordially invite contributions from members of our scientific community, along with policy makers, water managers, spatial planners, lawyers, and other key figures in the realm of spatial flood risk management, to submit an abstract for oral presentations at our LAND4FLOOD Conference 2025.

A dedicated round table will be organized for practitioners in flood risk management. We also warmly encourage young academics to participate, with special incentives for PhD students who may apply for a dedicated PhD workshop scheduled during the conference.

Conference themes will include:

1. Climate Change Impacts on Flood Risk and Land Management

2. Hydrological effectiveness of nature-based measures for flood retention,

3. Hydrology and Land Interactions in Flood Risk

4. Land use conflicts in the implementation of nature-based measures,

5. Regulatory frameworks for nature-based solution implementation,

6. The digitalization of flood risk management and resilience,

7. Community-Based Approaches to Flood Resilience

8. Urban Flood Management and Resilient Cities

9. Transboundary and International Cooperation in Flood Management

10. Economic and financial aspects.

Key questions to be addressed during the conference:

Hydrological Effectiveness of Nature-Based Measures for Flood Retention

• What are the most effective nature-based measures for flood retention in various environmental settings?
• How do these measures perform compared to traditional flood defense systems in terms of reducing peak flow rates and volumes?

Land Use Conflicts in the Implementation of Nature-Based Measures

• What are common conflicts between existing land uses and the implementation of nature-based solutions for flood management?
• How can stakeholders be engaged effectively to resolve or mitigate these conflicts?

Regulatory Frameworks for Nature-Based Solution Implementation

• What are the current regulatory barriers to implementing nature-based solutions for flood risk management?
• How can policy be shaped to support the adoption and scalability of these solutions across different jurisdictions?

The Digitalization of Flood Risk Management and Resilience

• In what ways can digital technologies enhance the monitoring, prediction, and management of flood risks?
• What are the challenges and opportunities in integrating these technologies into existing flood risk management frameworks?

Economic and Financial Aspects

• What are the cost-benefit analyses of implementing nature-based solutions compared to traditional methods?
• How can funding and investment be secured for large-scale implementation of nature-based solutions in flood-prone areas?

Climate Change Impacts on Flood Risk and Land Management

• How are changing climate patterns affecting the frequency and severity of flooding events across different regions?
• What are the best practices in land management that can help mitigate the impacts of these changes?
• How can predictive models be improved to better forecast flood risks in the context of climate change?

Hydrology and Land Interactions in Flood Risk

• What are the key hydrological processes that influence flood risks and how are they impacted by land use changes?
• How can current land management practices be modified to enhance their effectiveness in flood mitigation?
• What role do natural water retention measures play in modifying hydrological pathways and reducing flood risks?

Community-Based Approaches to Flood Resilience

• What successful community-based initiatives can be scaled up to enhance flood resilience?
• How can communities be more effectively engaged in planning and implementing flood risk management strategies?
• What are the challenges and opportunities in integrating traditional knowledge with modern scientific approaches in flood management?

Urban Flood Management and Resilient Cities

• What innovative urban planning and engineering solutions have proven effective in enhancing flood resilience in cities?
• How can cities better integrate green infrastructure to manage flood risks?
• What are the key policy and governance challenges in urban flood management, and how can they be overcome?

Transboundary and International Cooperation in Flood Management

• What are the best practices for managing flood risks in transboundary river basins?
• How can countries work together more effectively to respond to and manage flood emergencies?
• What frameworks are necessary to facilitate improved data sharing and coordination between nations for flood risk management?

Please ensure that abstracts, limited to 300 words, are submitted in English at land4flood2025@researching.ro

All submissions will undergo a review process by our Scientific Committee prior to acceptance.

The registration fee for the conference will be 250 euro for regular participants and 150 euro for students. Registration fees include coffee breaks, light lunches, gala dinner, publishing of extended abstracts in conference proceedings, certificate of participation.

Registration will open soon.

Key Dates

31 March - Extended deadline for Abstracts

31 May  - Notification of acceptance

1 June - Start of Registration

30 July - Final Registration deadline and payment

3 September - Start of the Conference

Venue

The meetings will be organized in the Library of the Politehnica University of Timisoara (10 min walking from the city center).

Main activities take place in rooms K1 and K2 located at the first floor.

How to get to Timişoara

By Plane

Timişoara Airport is located 12 kilometers from Timişoara city center. It can be reached using E4 bus. However, we are recommending ridesharing companies (Uber, Bolt) for transfers from/ to airport.

By Car

The campus of Politehnica University of Timişoara is very well located in the city centre. We can provide free parking areas if needed.

Hotel suggestions

All hotels mentioned here are situated in the city center.

Hotel Perla

https://hotelperla.ro/

Hotel Timisoara

https://hoteltimisoara.ro/

Hotel Savoy

https://www.hotelsavoytimisoara.ro/ro

Hotel Reghina Blue

https://www.reghinablue.ro/

Hotel Opera

https://www.opera-hotel.ro/

On behalf of the organizing committee, we warmly invite you to join us at the 'Leveraging Nature-Based Solutions for Resilient Land and Flood Risk Management in the Anthropocene' conference to share insights and explore innovative approaches to sustainability and resilience.