Post a comment on the text below
Flood risk management, as the management of natural hazards in general, is one of the elements supporting the broad aims of sustainable development (UNISDR 2015) as clearly stated in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (UN 2015). A strategic flood risk management approach supporting sustainability is therefore, in contrast to the still widespread misconception, much more than maintaining the integrity of flood control structures now and over long time horizons (Sayers, et al., 2015). It includes maintaining, restoring and strengthening the long-term health of all associated ecosystems, societies and economies by promoting the following key principles (Sayers, et al., 2015):
-
efficiency and fairness: maximizing the utility of an investment while ensuring a process that also protects the most vulnerable members of society;
-
resilience and adaptive capacity: purposeful approaches to strategy development and design that are inherently risk based and actively manage uncertainty; and
-
safeguarding ecosystem services: soft path measures (like land use changes or wetland restoration) and selective hard path measures (e.g. bypass channels or controlled storage) both offer opportunities to simultaneously manage flood risk and promote ecosystem services.
You cannot post comments to this consultation because you are not authenticated. Please log in.
Previous comments
The concept of risk management is under constant evolution, in particular
in adopting an adaptive approach, which works with natural processes, contributes to ecosystem
services in a positive way and is part of an integrated water management approach à I would formulate as “relies on ecosystem services”
promote ecosystem services à Rely on ecosystem services? – I am emphasizing this aspect again, because it is not (only) a consequence of more natural water management that ecosystem services are better provided, but this more natural system is based on the ecosystem services, meaning that it makes use of the services, particularly the regulating ones.