unnatural disasters: the impact of land use on...

Sean Hoobin WWF-Australia

UNNATURAL DISASTERS: the impact of land use on flooding

WWF and the Reef

• WWF is the world's largest independent conservation organization with over 5 million supporters, working in 100+ countries.

• Globally we focus on 35 Priority Places and 36 Priority Species.

• The Great Barrier Reef is one of these global Priority Places, containing turtles, dolphins, coral, sharks, and swordfish.

http://wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/wildlife_and_habitats/australian_priority_species/marine_turtles/http://wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/wildlife_and_habitats/australian_priority_species/whales/http://wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/wildlife_and_habitats/australian_priority_species/dugongs/http://wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/oceans_and_marine/priority_ocean_places/great_barrier_reef/

WWF and the Reef

• Reduce carbon emissions to give the Reef a chance.

• Plus key local impacts: fishing, water quality and coastal development for resilience.

• Floods deliver the pollutants to the Reef.

UNNATURAL DISASTERS

• Land use – increased flood impacts.

• Actions: avoid and reduce floods risk.

• Natural solutions to natural disasters.

• Report: how the numbers stack up.


The impacts of floods

• Floods and cyclones cause huge impacts on communities, economies and the environment in Queensland and worldwide.

• In Queensland billions in damage to infrastructure, buildings and

crops .. loss of life.

The impacts of floods • Sea grass and

coral have been decimated.

• Huge numbers of starving and sick dugong and turtles

- 910 turtles (515) - 132 dugong (62)

Unnatural disaster

• Climate change means more extreme weather events: riverine floods and storm surge.

• Development has also increased natural disasters impacts:

- Building in flood danger zones - Natural flood storage loss: wetlands,

floodplains, bushland - Urban and rural development

hardens surfaces • Bigger hazard and bigger

consequence: escalation in risk.

Taking action

• We need to act to reduce the human and ecosystem costs:

1. Don’t expand flood risk.

2. Reduce the existing flood risk.

• What is the best policy

and infrastructure mix?

• All options .. the full cost and benefits.

Action: don’t expand risk

• Avoid the flood danger zones: obvious but ignored.

• Built in danger zones before we knew better.

• No excuse: map and avoid

(and build smarter)

Action: don’t expand risk • Protect natural flood storages - Floodplain connected to rivers - Wetlands and bushland capture water • Map and protect (easier said than done)

Action: reduce risk • Must act to protect those in danger

zones.

• Relocate: expensive and unpopular

• Warning systems .. Better design.

• These manage the risk but do not reduce it.

• Need measures to capture/buffer water.

http://www.squidoo.com/harbor-wave

Reduce risk: infrastructure • Infrastructure: dams, levees, and sea walls.

• Defined levels of risk reduction but downsides:

© Michel GUNTHER / WWF-Canon

- expensive - can’t be built

everywhere - environmentally

damaging - not full-proof

Reduce risk: natural mitigation

• Land use: can increase but also mitigate floods

• Urban and rural land management and design:

• Reinstate key natural flood barrier/storages:

- Reconnect floodplains - Reinstate bushland and

wetlands - Reestablish coastal foreshores • Flooding plus: water quality,

carbon, biodiversity.

© WWF-Canon/Elizabeth Kemf

Natural mitigation: WWF report • WWF report to provide numbers on natural mitigation: - flood reduction - costs and benefits - investments being made

• All option to be rationally compared. • Evidence to protect and restore natural features.

WWF report: general findings • Wetland, riparian and bushland can mitigate floods –

decreasing as events get larger.

• Floodplain reconnection/protection has the potential to mitigate larger floods.

• EUR €183 million project to reconnect the Danube River in Europe to 2,236 km2 to its original floodplain.

WWF report: general findings

• Comet River, GBR, increase annual run-off of 78%, from

vegetation cover 80 to 40%.

• Revegetation of SEQ catchments achieved reduction in flooding of up to 84% (with an average of 8%)

• Riparian revegetation can reduce flood peaks by up to a metre

Next steps: info and action

1. Map danger zones and control development

2. Map the natural flood buffer areas and protect • Strong development controls: - No dodgy development in high danger zones - Clear building and safety standards for medium risk

• Incentives: insurance; property values; cost of safety measures.

• Don’t subsidize dangerous development.

Next steps: info and action

3. Model options for restoring natural flood buffer and land use change

• No expensive dams: all options assessed based on full cost-benefit

• Assess various catchment scenarios: carbon, biodiversity, water quality and floods.

• Investment opportunities: Carbon sequestering and trading bringing multiple outcomes.

WWF and the Reef

• Great Barrier Reef (and any catchment) - Communities safer - Improved urban and rural development - Protected from polluted flood plumes - Carbon and biodiversity outcomes - Resilient community and environment


Sean Hoobin

[email protected]

unnatural disasters: the impact of land use on...

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