scholarly journals Barriers to Transformative Adaptation: Responses to Flood Risk in Ireland

2016 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1650010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Clarke ◽  
Conor Murphy ◽  
Irene Lorenzoni
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Flexible Adaptation ◽  
Transformative Adaptation

Barriers to climate change adaptation have received increased attention in recent years as researchers and policymakers attempt to understand their complex and interdependent nature and identify strategies for overcoming them. To date however, there is a paucity of research on barriers to transformative adaptation. Using two case studies of flood risk management from Ireland we identify and characterize barriers to transformative adaptation. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders connected to proposed transformative strategies in Skibbereen, County Cork and Clontarf, County Dublin. Across both case studies, where transformative strategies failed to materialize, we highlight three significant barriers that impede transformation including: (i) social and cultural values, particularly place attachment and identity; (ii) institutional reliance on technical expertise which fails to look beyond traditional technocratic approaches and; (iii) institutional regulatory practices. Findings illustrate that where social or institutional barriers emerge, transformation may more likely succeed through a series of incremental changes. This research has practical implications for future adaptation planning as facilitating transformation through incrementalism requires flexible adaptation strategies that are responsive to changing social values over time. While focused on flood risk management, our findings have applicability for other sectors adapting to climate change.

scholarly journals Assessing real options in urban surface water flood risk management under climate change

2018 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixing Liu ◽  
Yuntao Wang ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Albert S. Chen ◽  
Guangtao Fu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Real Options ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Urban Surface

Sociotechnical Framework for Participatory Flood Risk Management via Collaborative Modeling

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreja Jonoski ◽  
Mariele Evers
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Shared Understanding ◽  
Web Based ◽  
European Context ◽  
Collaborative Modeling ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Collaborative Platform

This article introduces a sociotechnical framework for conceptualization, design and development of participatory Flood Risk Management (FRM) processes. The framework enables a collaborative modeling approach, in which FRM activities are jointly carried out by authorities responsible for FRM, key stakeholders and the potentially affected citizens. Given the technical and social complexity of FRM, the article argues for adoption of the proposed framework as a means for realizing individual and social learning among all involved actors, which leads to shared understanding of the identified flood risks and potentially to commonly agreed FRM alternatives and strategies. Implementation of the framework critically depends on a web-based collaborative platform – a tool that supports all collaborative modeling activities. The framework is presented from within European context of FRM, but its relevance is broader and it can potentially be adopted in other social and geographical areas.

Governance of flood risk management in a time of climate change: the cases of Jakarta and Rotterdam

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Ward ◽  
W. P. Pauw ◽  
M. W. van Buuren ◽  
M. A. Marfai
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Risk Management

scholarly journals Traditional ecological knowledge and flood risk management: A preliminary case study of the Rwenzori

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bosco Bwambale ◽  
Moses Muhumuza ◽  
Martine Nyeko
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Flood Hazards ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Indigenous Plants ◽  
Managing Risk

The shift from flood protection to flood risk management, together with recent arguments on incorporating culture in managing risk, underscores the application of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in managing disasters from flood hazards. Yet, documentation and incorporation of TEK into practice remains a challenge. This article contributes to addressing this challenge by exploring the existence of TEK to flooding in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda. Using semi-structured interviews, data were collected from residents of the Nyamwamba watershed where intense flash floods caused deadly impacts in May 2013. Collected data were analysed using content, thematic and interpretive analysis techniques. Results indicate that TEK is exhibited through various traditional ecological approaches (TEAs). Although endangered, TEAs (conducted through collective action for a communally accepted end) are framed in three main activities: (1) assessment and prediction of rainfall and flood by the traditional hydro-meteorologist (diviner) and the traditional rain forecaster (rainmaker); (2) the mountain cleansing ritual (which act as flood risk awareness platform); and (3) immunising riverine communities through planting certain indigenous plants, which improve hydrological systems through their high conservation value for native ecological diversity. As most TEAs are conducted through collective action, they represent a platform to understand local capacities and enhance adoption of measures, and/or a source of knowledge for new measures to address flood risk. Therefore, full-scale investigations of these TEAs, determining how relevant TEAs are fine-tuned, and (scientific) measures enculturated based on fine-tuned TEAs could result in effective flood risk management in various flood hotspots where TEAs influence action.

scholarly journals The evolution of climate change guidance for fluvial flood risk management in England

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S Reynard ◽  
Alison L Kay ◽  
Molly Anderson ◽  
Bill Donovan ◽  
Caroline Duckworth
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Management ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Floods are one of the biggest natural hazards to society, and there is increasing concern about the potential impacts of climate change on flood occurrence and magnitude. Furthermore, flood risk is likely to increase in the future not just through increased flood occurrence, but also through socio-economic changes, such as increasing population. The extent to which adaptation measures can offset this increased risk will depend on the level of future climate change, but there exists an urgent need for information on the potential impacts of climate change on floods, so that these can be accounted for by flood management authorities and local planners aiming to reduce flood risk. Agencies across the UK have been pro-active in providing such guidance for many years and in refining it as the science of climate change and hydrological impacts has developed. The history of this guidance for fluvial flood risk in England is presented and discussed here, including the recent adoption of a regional risk-based approach. Such an approach could be developed and applied to flood risk management in other countries, and to other sectors affected by climate change.

scholarly journals Adaptive Capacities for Diversified Flood Risk Management Strategies: Learning from Pilot Projects

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2643
Author(s):  
Flavia Simona Cosoveanu ◽  
Jean-Marie Buijs ◽  
Marloes Bakker ◽  
Teun Terpstra
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Pilot Projects ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Risk Management Strategies

Diversification of flood risk management strategies (FRMS) in response to climate change relies on the adaptive capacities of institutions. Although adaptive capacities enable flexibility and adjustment, more empirical research is needed to better grasp the role of adaptive capacities to accommodate expected climate change effects. This paper presents an analytical framework based on the Adaptive Capacity Wheel (ACW) and Triple-loop Learning. The framework is applied to evaluate the adaptive capacities that were missing, employed, and developed throughout the ‘Alblasserwaard-Vijfheerenlanden’ (The Netherlands) and the ‘Wesermarsch’ (Germany) pilot projects. Evaluations were performed using questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. From the 22 capacities of ACW, three capacities were identified important for diversifying the current FRMS; the capacity to develop a greater variety of solutions, continuous access to information about diversified FRMS, and collaborative leadership. Hardly any capacities related to ‘learning’ and ‘governance’ were mentioned by the stakeholders. From a further reflection on the data, we inferred that the pilot projects performed single-loop learning (incremental learning: ‘are we doing what we do right?’), rather than double-loop learning (reframing: ‘are we doing the right things?’). As the development of the framework is part of ongoing research, some directions for improvement are highlighted.

scholarly journals Flood resilience

2020 ◽  
Vol 378 (2168) ◽  
pp. 20190212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Zevenbergen ◽  
Berry Gersonius ◽  
Mohan Radhakrishan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Flood Risk ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Flood Risk Management ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Urban Flood ◽  
Developed Country ◽  
Building Engineering

Three different conceptual frameworks of resilience, including engineering, ecological and social–ecological have been presented and framed within the context of flood risk management. Engineering resilience has demonstrated its value in the design and operation of technological systems in general and in flood resilient technologies in particular. Although limited to the technical domain, it has broadened the objectives of flood resilient technologies and provided guidance in improving their effectiveness. Socio-ecological resilience is conceived as a broader system characteristic that involves the interaction between human and natural systems. It acknowledges that these systems change over time and that these interactions are of complex nature and associated with uncertainties. Building (socio-ecological) resilience in flood risk management strategies calls for an adaptive approach with short-term measures and a set of monitoring criteria for keeping track of developments that might require adaptation in the long-term (adaptation pathways) and thus built-in adaptive capacity as opposed to building engineering resilience which involves a static approach with a fixed time horizon a set of robust measures designed for specific future conditions or scenarios. The two case studies, from a developing and a developed country, indicate that the concepts of ecological and socio-ecological resilience provide guidance for building more resilient flood risk management systems resulting in an approach that embraces flood protection, prevention and preparedness. The case studies also reveal that the translation of resilience concepts into practice remains a challenge. One plausible explanation for this is our inability to arrive at a quantification of socio-ecological resilience taking into account the various attributes of the concept. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Urban flood resilience’.

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