Abstract
In Europe increasing flood risks challenge societies to diversify their Flood Risk Management Strategies (FRMSs). Such a diversification implies that actors not only focus on flood defence, but also and simultaneously on flood risk prevention, mitigation, preparation and recovery. There is much literature on the implementation of specific strategies and measures as well as on flood risk governance more generally. What is lacking, though, is a clear overview of the complex set of governance challenges which may result from a diversification and alignment of FRM strategies. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap. It elaborates on potential processes and mechanisms for coordinating the activities and capacities of actors that are involved on different levels and in different sectors of flood risk governance, both concerning the implementation of individual strategies and the coordination of the overall set of strategies. It identifies eight overall coordination mechanisms that have proven to be useful in this respect.
Highlights
Climate change is expected to result in sea-level rise and to induce more extreme weather events
Actors at various levels are making efforts aimed at the diversification of Flood Risk Management Strategies (FRMSs), in which multiple strategies are applied simultaneously and linked together
This paper aims to contribute to the literature on flood risk governance by identifying recurrent governance challenges resulting from societal ambitions to diversify FRMSs and promising coordination mechanisms for dealing with these challenges
Summary
Climate change is expected to result in sea-level rise and to induce more extreme weather events. Actors at various levels (international, European, national as well as regional) are making efforts aimed at the diversification of Flood Risk Management Strategies (FRMSs), in which multiple strategies are applied simultaneously and linked together. Both the UN Hyogo Framework and the EU Floods Directive opt for a simultaneous and coordinated application of multiple strategies. This paper aims to contribute to the literature on flood risk governance by identifying recurrent governance challenges resulting from societal ambitions to diversify FRMSs and promising coordination mechanisms for dealing with these challenges. We conclude this paper with a discussion and a short research agenda
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