Authors: Pataki, György; Kelemen, Eszter;Szakál, Diana;

The Lankoc Forest, situated along the river Drava at the Croatian-Hungarian border, is one of the last remnants of species-rich alluvial forests. A water retention project was initiated in 2018 by WWF Hungary to halt the loss of biodiversity induced by the dropping water table and the extreme weather events. While the improved water regime could benefit both the private forest owners and the state forestry by increasing ecological resilience and timber quality, conflicts arose when local stakeholders were informed about the water retention plan. During 2020 and 2021, a stakeholder and conflict analysis, a qualitative ecosystem services assessment, and a participatory scenario building process were carried out to better understand the stakeholders’ views, potential divergences and to allow win-win solutions to emerge. The research highlighted diverging perceptions of ecosystem services across key stakeholder groups, provisioning services being more important to those who make a living from the forest, while regulating and cultural services prioritised by citizens or visitors. In addition to the conflicting interests, interviews also revealed structural and value-laden roots of the conflict. Better communicating and distributing the project’s social and cultural benefits to the wider local community can be a way forward to increase its acceptance.