Background
As a mining academy, TU Freiberg has dedicated its case study to the challenges facing the Lusatia opencast mining region. Over 100 years of continuous lignite mining has had a significant impact on the water balance in the region, which is also one of the driest areas in Germany. This situation is exacerbated by climate change, and with the phase-out of coal scheduled for 2038 at the latest, large quantities of drainage water will no longer be available. This is water that is pumped out to keep the coal mines dry and is mostly discharged into receiving waters such as rivers. Currently, this drainage water is still available for drinking water supply, industry, ecosystems and much more. In addition, a large amount of water is needed for the flooding and renaturation of the opencast mining pits. This means that there is a high potential for competition for water resources in Lusatia. Furthermore, Lusatia is in the midst of a regional transformation of its economic structure. A functioning water balance is a key prerequisite for successful structural change.
Questions
• Which (future) measures and strategies of stakeholder groups in the Lusatia opencast mining region can have a significant impact on (future) water conflicts in the region?
• How do these measures of different stakeholder groups and contextual developments interact?
Participatory modelling
In Module C, we investigated which water conflicts may arise in the future in connection with coal mining, structural change and climate change in Lusatia. We also analysed how actors and their measures and strategies can influence this. To this end, we collaborated with local stakeholders and other scientific projects. Starting with the selection of relevant framework conditions and measures, through the evaluation of the interactions between them, to the testing of our serious game, we consulted continuously with stakeholders and experts.
Participating stakeholder groups
Our case study primarily involved stakeholders from the fields of public administration, science and nature conservation. We would like to thank them all for their contributions to the development of our serious game.
Insights
We were able to identify a number of measures that, regardless of external conditions, can always be helpful in stabilising the water supply in Lusatia in the future. It turned out that the scope for action is greater under conditions without crises. It also became apparent that anthropogenic land use requires more technical measures than near-natural use. Our results can support decision-making on how to deal with future water conflicts in Lusatia by visualising the socio-economic consequences of decisions in a simple model.
Conclusion
Our model offers a useful addition to existing hydrological models of Lusatia. The serious game sessions have shown that they provide a good basis for discussions and exchanges between different stakeholder groups. Furthermore, the serious game could also be used as a training tool.