Strengthening Flood Management and Climate Adaptation Through Regional Collaboration
Presentation Abstract
A new initiative is underway to develop a Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy to better protect communities along the lower Fraser River and coast – from Hope to Richmond and from Squamish to White Rock. The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) is facilitating this initiative, which involves collaboration among more than 40 partners from the four orders of government (First Nations, Federal, Provincial and Local) as well as industry, agriculture, NGOs and academia.
The Flood Management Strategy will identify opportunities to strengthen flood management policies and practices as well as flood protection works across the Lower Mainland. An integrated, collaborative approach to flood protection is critically important, given the flood risks that Lower Mainland communities face and given that a major flood would have serious social, economic and environmental consequences for the entire region.
This session will explore the findings of phase one of the strategy development process, which focuses on building a better understanding of flood hazards in a changing climate, the potential impacts, costs and other consequences from large flood events in the Lower Mainland, as well as the current status of flood protection infrastructure, policies and practices.
A key aspect of the strategy is to explore how best to strengthen flood management at a regional scale in the face of increasing flood risks associated with a changing climate. The session will highlight how changes in coastal and riverine flood hazards could affect the communities and infrastructure in the region.
The session will also explore some of the key issues at the interface between flood management and the environment. What are the adverse environmental impacts associated with different flood management options? What are some ways to reduce environmental impacts? Where are there opportunities for softer or greener infrastructure?
Session Title
Flood Management, Climate Adaptation and the Environment in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Flood damage prevention--British Columbia--Fraser River; Flood control--Environmental aspects--British Columbia--Fraser River
Geographic Coverage
Fraser River (B.C.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Strengthening Flood Management and Climate Adaptation Through Regional Collaboration
2016SSEC
A new initiative is underway to develop a Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy to better protect communities along the lower Fraser River and coast – from Hope to Richmond and from Squamish to White Rock. The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) is facilitating this initiative, which involves collaboration among more than 40 partners from the four orders of government (First Nations, Federal, Provincial and Local) as well as industry, agriculture, NGOs and academia.
The Flood Management Strategy will identify opportunities to strengthen flood management policies and practices as well as flood protection works across the Lower Mainland. An integrated, collaborative approach to flood protection is critically important, given the flood risks that Lower Mainland communities face and given that a major flood would have serious social, economic and environmental consequences for the entire region.
This session will explore the findings of phase one of the strategy development process, which focuses on building a better understanding of flood hazards in a changing climate, the potential impacts, costs and other consequences from large flood events in the Lower Mainland, as well as the current status of flood protection infrastructure, policies and practices.
A key aspect of the strategy is to explore how best to strengthen flood management at a regional scale in the face of increasing flood risks associated with a changing climate. The session will highlight how changes in coastal and riverine flood hazards could affect the communities and infrastructure in the region.
The session will also explore some of the key issues at the interface between flood management and the environment. What are the adverse environmental impacts associated with different flood management options? What are some ways to reduce environmental impacts? Where are there opportunities for softer or greener infrastructure?
