What could happen to the Netherlands if, in 2030, the sea level starts to rise and eventually, after 100 years, a sea level of 5 m above current level would be reached? This question is addressed by studying literature, by interviewing experts in widely differing fields, and by holding an expert workshop on this question. Although most experts believe that geomorphology and current engineering skills would enable the country to largely maintain its territorial integrity, there are reasons to assume that this is not likely to happen. Social processes that precede important political decisions -such as the growth of the belief in the reality of sea level rise and the framing of such decisions in a proper political context (policy window) -evolve slowly. A flood disaster would speed up the decision-making process. The shared opinion of the experts surveyed is that eventually part of the Netherlands would be abandoned.
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This special issue comprises articles reporting research into wetlands. The common feature of this research is that it directed towards bridging the gap between science and policy. Research has been conducted explicitly to provide information which decision-makers can use for managing wetlands. The term 'wetlands' attempts to generalise the interface between water and land. It is an umbrella term, encompassing the very large range of terms used to describe such systems. Wetlands have been receiving considerable public and policy attention in recent years. It is now widely recognised that they provide many important goods and services to human societies. Examples include drinking water, flood mitigation, water quality control, fish, and recreational and residential opportunities. Wetlands also support various endangered, charismatic and migratory species. Increased interest in wetlands stems from recognition that human activities are compromising the ability of wetlands to deliver these goods and services. The greatest sources of stress on wetlands include: changes in land use with habitat loss and fragmentation; resource extraction; drainage and reclamation, and pollution. Various international agreements exist to protect wetlands and their dependent species, but despite this, many wetlands over the world are under threat. Turner et al. (2000) identify four main reasons for this: (1) market failures due to the public good nature of wetlands; (2) externalities caused by economic activities such as agriculture, industry, and water abstraction; (3) lack of understanding of the many values associated with wetlands due to the complexity and 'invisibility' of spatial relationships among groundwater, surface water and wetland species; and (4)
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