Forestry for sustainable future: The role of integrated landscape approaches
Martijn van Staveren "Feeling blue get green"
1. Communities and Institutions for Flood Resilience
Turning Tides?
Feeling blue? Get green!
The potential of ecology for flood
management
Martijn van Staveren, martijn.vanstaveren@wur.nl
2. Outline presentation
• Motivation
• Greening of flood management – framework
• Exemplary delta: the Netherlands
• Main research question (under development)
• Theoretical background
• Discussion/feedback from participants
3. 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?
4. 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
6. Exemplary delta: the Netherlands
• Greening of flood management trend is taking
shape on all levels
o 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
8. Main research question
• Which key factors drive the greening of flood
management strategies on local, national and
international level?
9. 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
10. 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?
11. 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
14. 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
15. 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?
17. Main research question
• Which key factors drive the greening of flood
management strategies on local, national and
international level?
Editor's Notes
Example: (cutting off flood plains) Maeslantkering as prime example. I prefer to speak about a trend, because a process has a (by someone intended) certain goal or outcome. A trend has no clear trajectory as it could arise, but also again disappear.Represented by practices, policies and guidelines; facilitated by actors, structures, processes.
That’s also why ‘resilience’ is perhaps not the most clear example, as it is not really a conscious ecological application, but merely an interesting concept or metaphor that gives potential for newer and better approaches. Discussion on what is ‘green’? Sustainability, resilience, local practices? Light green, dark green. Viridian green.
Discussion on what is ‘green’? Sustainability, resilience, local practices? Light green, dark green. Viridian green.
In the Netherlands, the Oosterscheldekering marks for me the first large project that specifically incorporates green functions in flood management practices.
Example:MaeslantkeringTrend en geen process (datheeft outcomes)
Achterliggenderedenen van de trend. Which factors are conducive for the trend, which ones are obstructive
Systems theory: 1) allows for socio-ecological lens 2) dynamics in systems incl SES (Holling/Folke) and coupled with policy dynamicsPrefer to speak about strategies instead of policy, because that makes it applicable on all three levels.
Systems theory: 1) allows for socio-ecological lens 2) dynamics in systems incl SES (Holling/Folke) and coupled with policy dynamicsPrefer to speak about strategies instead of policy, because that makes it applicable on all three levels. It can also explain level interactions and the cyclical character of practices/approachesWhat exactly changes? The physical ecosystem, but also institutional setting, in this research it will be used to approach flood management approach by combining with policy dynamic tools
Systems theory: 1) allows for socio-ecological lens 2) dynamics in systems incl SES (Holling/Folke) and coupled with policy dynamicsPrefer to speak about strategies instead of policy, because that makes it applicable on all three levels.
Systems theory: 1) allows for socio-ecological lens 2) dynamics in systems incl SES (Holling/Folke) and coupled with policy dynamicsPrefer to speak about strategies instead of policy, because that makes it applicable on all three levels.
Three world deltas, case studies to be specified
Systems theory: 1) allows for socio-ecological lens 2) dynamics in systems incl SES (Holling/Folke) and coupled with theory/concepts/tools on policy dynamicsPrefer to speak about strategies instead of policy, because that makes it applicable on all three levels.
Systems theory: 1) allows for socio-ecological lens 2) dynamics in systems incl SES (Holling/Folke) and coupled with policy dynamicsPrefer to speak about strategies instead of policy, because that makes it applicable on all three levels.
