This paper provides a preliminary evaluation of the Regional Impact Simulator-a user-friendly, PC-based tool designed with stakeholders for stakeholders wishing to assess the effects of climate and/or socio-economic change on the important sectors and resources in the UK at a regional scale, in particular, impacts to coastal and river flooding, agriculture, water resources and biodiversity. While integrated assessments are relatively new, simulators that help stakeholders visualize and think about potential changes in the environment or society at a regional scale are very new. An earlier project, RegIS1, was the first local/regional integrated assessment conducted in the UK. It developed a method for engaging stakeholders in a "stakeholder-led" integrated assessment process. The RegIS2 project developed a simulation tool and followed the same "stakeholder-led" principle in designing and testing the tool. The role of stakeholders in informing the design of the simulator is discussed here, as is a stakeholder evaluation survey on its success in meeting its objectives. We also reflect on the need and desire of stakeholders to have such a tool. And because the Steering Committee -made up of stakeholders -was so invaluable in ensuring the usefulness of research outputs, a series of Steering Committee 'rules' is proposed intending to maximise the benefits of this valuable resource. Finally, we outline how our experience with the 'Regional Impact Simulator' serves as a test-bed for further studies of stakeholder-led, regional, integrated assessment.
There are five million people at risk from flooding in England and Wales along with nearly two million homes and 185 000 business properties.The principal operational responsibility for reducing this risk rests with the UK government's Environment Agency, which employs over 5000 staff dedicated to the role. This paper explores key technical, organisational and environmental challenges facing the Environment Agency in delivering sustainable flood defence in England and Wales. It examines new strategic developments and the recent restructuring of the Environment Agency's flood defence service, and illustrates the practicalities of sustainable flood defence by looking at the autumn 2000 floods, the Gainsborough flood alleviation scheme, land use change, river restoration projects and managed realignment of flood defences.
Climate risk management is a new and evolving area and many decisions are likely to be affected by climate risks over the long‐term. This paper presents a decision‐making framework designed for managing climate alongside nonclimate risk factors. The framework describes a process that should help identify and manage these risks. It can be used to help decision‐makers answer questions about whether adaptation is required, and, if so, which measures should be implemented. Adaptive management is recommended as a useful approach for dealing with climate and other uncertainties. This paper describes an application of the framework to a water resources case study. Feedback from training workshops based on four different case studies suggests the framework provides at minimum a useful (post‐hoc) decision analysis tool. Potential users, who include planners, consultants and policy‐makers have been largely positive about the prospective utility of the framework.
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