Floodplains by Design: Linking community perspectives to climate services for adaptive, multi-benefit floodplain management

Speaker

Erica Asinas

Streaming Media

Presentation Abstract

Climate change is expected to exacerbate flood risk through changes in the frequency, timing and intensity of both riverine and coastal flood conditions. This future flood uncertainty necessitates the integration of advancements in climate science and technology to support adaptive management of flood risks in a changing world. At the same time, social complexity surrounding diverse land and river priorities creates a challenging risk management context. For example, different priorities around fish habitat, farm protection or flood infrastructure intersect with climate risks and adaptation actions in different ways. And, current efforts to address climate change are often piecemeal, lack coordination, and continue to be stymied by limited capacity and resources for stakeholders. Linking climate science with practice requires careful attention to this social context. Climate services that reflect social and policy complexity and the variation in how flood risks are experienced across the landscape are more likely to be used in decision-making. This project addresses this challenge by working directly with floodplain stakeholders in Pierce, Snohomish and Whatcom Counties to identify climate science and capacity-building needs and priorities that reflect different community interests. This work includes a literature review of existing climate resources and plans, semi-structured interviews, and workshops with community members representing farm, fish and flood interests. Initial findings suggest that ‘bridging the gap’ between science, engineering, and practice requires both decision-relevant innovations in climate information resources as well as greater attention to developing capacity for climate information use. At the same time, identifying and sharing community perspectives on climate risks is necessary to address existing knowledge gaps, and bolster support for climate resilience planning. These findings are being used to develop climate needs assessments, tailor specific climate services and technical support, and co-develop priorities to advance climate resilience in integrated floodplain management.

Session Title

Integrating Climate Science into Flood Plain Management

Conference Track

SSE8: Climate Change

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)

Document Type

Event

SSEC Identifier

SSE-traditionals-331

Start Date

27-4-2022 1:30 PM

End Date

27-4-2022 3:00 PM

Type of Presentation

Oral

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Flood control--Washington (State)--Stillaguamish River Watershed; Climatic changes--Washington (State)--Stillaguamish River Watershed--Forecasting; Floodplain management--Washington (State)--Stillaguamish River Watershed; Watershed management--Washington (State)--Stillaguamish River Watershed

Geographic Coverage

Stillaguamish River Watershed (Wash.)

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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Apr 27th, 1:30 PM Apr 27th, 3:00 PM

Floodplains by Design: Linking community perspectives to climate services for adaptive, multi-benefit floodplain management

Climate change is expected to exacerbate flood risk through changes in the frequency, timing and intensity of both riverine and coastal flood conditions. This future flood uncertainty necessitates the integration of advancements in climate science and technology to support adaptive management of flood risks in a changing world. At the same time, social complexity surrounding diverse land and river priorities creates a challenging risk management context. For example, different priorities around fish habitat, farm protection or flood infrastructure intersect with climate risks and adaptation actions in different ways. And, current efforts to address climate change are often piecemeal, lack coordination, and continue to be stymied by limited capacity and resources for stakeholders. Linking climate science with practice requires careful attention to this social context. Climate services that reflect social and policy complexity and the variation in how flood risks are experienced across the landscape are more likely to be used in decision-making. This project addresses this challenge by working directly with floodplain stakeholders in Pierce, Snohomish and Whatcom Counties to identify climate science and capacity-building needs and priorities that reflect different community interests. This work includes a literature review of existing climate resources and plans, semi-structured interviews, and workshops with community members representing farm, fish and flood interests. Initial findings suggest that ‘bridging the gap’ between science, engineering, and practice requires both decision-relevant innovations in climate information resources as well as greater attention to developing capacity for climate information use. At the same time, identifying and sharing community perspectives on climate risks is necessary to address existing knowledge gaps, and bolster support for climate resilience planning. These findings are being used to develop climate needs assessments, tailor specific climate services and technical support, and co-develop priorities to advance climate resilience in integrated floodplain management.