Communities and Institutions for Flood ResilienceTurning Tides?

Feeling blue? Get green!

The potential of ecology for flood management

Martijn van Staveren, martijn.vanstaveren@wur.nl

Outline presentation

• Motivation

• Greening of flood management – framework

• Exemplary delta: the Netherlands

• Main research question (under development)

• Theoretical background

• Discussion/feedback from participants

Motivation

• Over-dominant technological approach in flood management (‘blue’) led to a underestimation of ecological functions and awareness of its potential (‘green’)

• A trend is now taking shape in which the role of the ecological system and its potential receives more attention

• Why does this happen?

Greening of flood management - framework

• I understand the greening of flood management as the conscious application of ecological principles in flood management strategies on different levels (local practices, national policies, international guidelines)

• Two lines of thinking: considering the environment in solutions (EIA) versus departing from the environment/ecosystem in developing flood management strategies

Greening of flood management - framework

Exemplary delta: the Netherlands

• Greening of flood management trend is taking shape on all levelso International guidelines: EU Framework Directive (2006)

o National policy: Green Adaptation (+ niche-regimes) (2008)

o Local practice: Ecoshape (amongst others) (2008 - 2012)

• Based on preliminary findings, reasons for this are multiple, ranging from creative ideas, to CSR-inspired practices, spatial limitations for conventional methods, climate change adaptation policy measures, environmental awareness

Local practices/ideas

Main research question

• Which key factors drive the greening of flood management strategies on local, national and international level?

Theoretical background

• The socio-ecological flood management system as point of departure, as it integrates the physical system (delta including flood occurrence) and the social system (human responses to floods)

• Combination of systems theory and concepts from policy change theory to address research question

Dynamics in socio-ecological systems

• Interactive change in coupled socio-ecological systems (Gunderson, Holling, Folke)

• Adaptive renewal cycles, resilience, and nestedness of micro and macro socio-ecological systems

• What exactly changes?

Theory and concepts to explain policy dynamics

• Transition management offers guidance in level interactions (Rotmans, van der Brugge)

• Theory and concepts from policy theory to explain dynamics in strategy formulation (Meijerink)

1. Development of new ideas

2. Build coalitions to ‘sell’ ideas

3. Recognize and exploit windows of opportunity

4. Recognize, exploit, create and/or manipulate multiple venues

5. Orchestrate and manage networks

How to combine and conceptualize both?

+ = ?

Netherlands Bangladesh

Vietnam

Stable system, rarely floods, risk culture

Highly dynamic system, continuous floods, flood culture

Moderate system, regular floods, amphibian culture

What did we learn so far in Bangladesh

• There is a still a strong focus on technological engineering approaches (BWDB)

• Attention for ecosystem-based solutions is noticed (WARPO). TRM as a local example, Green Water Defense (ADB) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (World Bank) under development on international level, IUCN adopts a combined ecosystem-disaster-livelihood framework

Discussion/feedback from participants

1. To which extent is a greening of flood management trend taking place in Bangladesh?

2. Could you name a few examples in which the environment/ecosystem is used as a point of departure, to develop flood management strategies?

Local practices/ideas

Main research question

• Which key factors drive the greening of flood management strategies on local, national and international level?