ANTICIPA TING STAGED MANA GED RETREAT AT THE COASTAL MARGINS
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
COASTAL MANAGEMENT
Anticipating
staged managed
retreat
at the coastal margins
Key questions and considerations for
community and local government evaluation
of managed retreat approaches.
Owen, S.1, Lawrence, J.2, Ryan, E.1,
Kench, P.1, Bell. R.3, Rennie, H.4,
Blackett, P.3, and Schneider, P. 5
8 PLANNING QUARTERLYManaged retreat in coastal areas involves the landward relocation retreat as: “…a long-term, strategic
decision to allow the shoreline to migrate
of existing and planned development to reduce exposure to hazards. inland in response to sea-level rise and
attendant erosion [and flooding], and
The hazard risk is reduced or removed entirely, leaving the coast to proactive management of the removal of
respond to natural processes. affected assets, rather than protecting the
existing shoreline”. Managed retreat is thus
Introduction in Hawke’s Bay by three joint councils “conscious”, “deliberate”, “coordinated”, and
developing the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal “precautionary” (Fletcher et al., 2013).
The New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement
(NZCPS) 2010 provide directives to local Hazards Strategy 2120 (www.hbcoast. In practice, managed retreat employs
government to consider such approaches co.nz). We provided social and physical a number of staged actions, including
(Objective 5; policies 25 and 27), amongst a science expertise, acting as a ‘critical friend’ anticipating the removal or abandonment
suite of options for reducing coastal hazard supporting the stakeholder evaluation of hard protection structures, decisions
impact on existing and future development. of multiple coastal management options to stop maintaining such structures,
Similar provisions were present in the for the region’s coast. In this context the restrictions on land use, identifying new
NZCPS 1994, however, managed retreat team provided a review of managed retreat places for retreating communities to go,
approaches still remain a ‘black box’ for practice, as well as information on other and the removal or relocation of at-risk
many and New Zealand has few successful options and assessment tools, highlighting infrastructure, including transport links.
examples of managed retreat of habitable different approaches and barriers to These actions may require a transition
dwellings at the coast. There is a pressing implementation. over a few or many years and flexible
need to examine managed retreat more Here we identify key questions and planning processes that can signal change
closely as a viable, or the only, alternative considerations for community and local is approaching, triggering decisions to
for sites at intractable risk of erosion and government evaluation of managed retreat shift to new pathways rather than reinforce
flooding. Here we seek to unpack the black approaches. In particular, we highlight delay or additional exposure to hazards.
box of managed retreat as a mainstream managed retreat as a suite of options that A number of anticipatory short and long
option for coastal risk management. may be staged over time in response to term planning tools are available for
We draw from collective observations agreed triggers (decision points) before facilitating managed retreat, including
arising from work undertaken by the Living reaching adaptation thresholds. Proactive development setbacks, hazard overlay
at the Edge project (The Edge), part of the community engagement is highlighted maps, relocatable buildings, relocation
Resilience to Nature’s Challenges, National as pivotal. We place these questions plans (including trigger points) and closed
Science Challenge. We worked alongside within the context of the Ministry for zones (e.g. Mapua and Ruby Bay, Tasman
a formal decision making process that the Environment Coastal Hazards and District, MfE Guidance, 2017: 43). Retreat
embodied engagement with communities Climate Change: Guidance for Local also provides opportunities to re-vision
Government (MfE Guidance, 2017)1 and coastal spaces and connections with
the Department of Conservation’s (DoC) coastal communities, including enhancing
1
School of Environment, The University of NZCPS 2010 Guidance Notes: Coastal public access, recreational space, landscape
Auckland, Auckland. Hazards2, to inform practice. value, and ecological functioning (Fletcher
2
Climate Change Research Institute, Victoria Unpacking the ‘black box’: defining et al., 2013).
University of Wellington, Wellington.
managed retreat
3
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric 1
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/
Research (NIWA) Managed retreat is commonly perceived
climate-change/coastal-hazards-and-climate-
4
Department of Environmental Management, as a singular ‘one off ’ option, predicated change-guidance-local-government
Lincoln University on the removal of structures, disruptive 2
http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/
5
The School of People, Environment and for people and costly upfront. However, conservation/marine-and-coastal/coastal-
Planning, Massey University, New Zealand Reisinger et al. (2015) define managed management/guidance/policy-24-to-27.pdf
ISSUE 209 9COASTAL MANAGEMENT
Towards anticipatory managed retreat
participatory strategy developed at
While these definitions infer that managed
the outset will enable the context and
retreat is a process to be canvassed with
community values to guide the process
communities, with options and triggers Attempts to of plan development and implementation
explored for future action, for many implement (refer Chapter 3 of the MfE Guidance,
communities the realities of retreat are
managed retreat 2017; DoC Guidance Notes, 2017). The
decisions driven post-hazard. While many
processes can then be inclusive of a range
international examples of retreat involve have been of voices and reflect local and wider
property buy-out after a significant event
(e.g. Staten Island, USA, post-Hurricane
challenged community values, beyond the economic
by affected value of physical assets and private
Sandy), these emphasise a reactive
property.
approach, overlooking how longer term property owners, Funding managed retreat
retreat plans developed with communities
can be implemented. Anticipatory strategies concerned at the loss Financial limitations and uncertainty
can enable decisions about properties and of connection to home about who will bear the cost can constrain
communities to be staged over a number of
decades by first identifying the most at-risk
and place, uncertainty implementation of managed retreat options
(Boston & Lawrence, 2017). Successful
sites and staging the implementation of the about property international examples of managed retreat
retreat options. values, insurance, and have been contingent upon significant
Developing agreed triggers for retreat mortgage availability. funding assistance from national or
state-level governments. New Zealand
To enable staged implementation,
funding mechanisms currently rely on a
community coping capacity needs to (Boston & Lawrence, 2017). Inadequate disaster trigger through the Earthquake
be identified and triggers designed for or absent community engagement has Commission and insurance, after the
retreat well before the coping thresholds significantly constrained attempts to damage has occurred. Managed retreat
are reached. Triggers can be physical ones implement managed retreat. In instances of is by contrast an anticipatory strategy to
such as increasing frequency of flooding government driven relocation or removal avoid and reduce risk. Through managed
events and the location of erosion relative of shoreline protection there has been retreat the costs of adaptation, while
to at-risk structures, or social triggers that community resistance (e.g. Fairbourne, potentially substantial, can be managed by
start to emerge as the physical impact Wales; Byron Bay, Australia) resulting spreading them across time, thus reducing
evolves. Decisions can be made for in delay, significant cost and policy the burden on both current and future
implementation of retreat options in time, reversal. Attempts to implement managed generations.
ahead of such defined trigger thresholds retreat have been challenged by affected
being reached. Understanding community property owners, concerned at the loss of Key questions to address
thresholds and the development of agreed connection to home and place, uncertainty Relocation options are essential for an
triggers can help ameliorate community about property values, insurance, and adaptive retreat strategy aiming to reduce
concerns about the timing and magnitude mortgage availability. However, where hazard risk. Movement of households
of sea-level rise, how triggers can be communities were engaged and included and infrastructure requires site-specific
reflected in plans, and the potential in decision-making in an enduring and consideration of whether managed
impacts on people, land and assets. The meaningful way, strategies for retreat have retreat is total abandonment, full or
MfE Guidance (2017) offers direction on been developed and implemented (Port part relocation, the timing, the triggers
how hazard and sea level rise assessments Waikato; Twin Streams (Vandenbeld & that will activate the adaptive plan and
can be done where uncertainty exists, and MacDonald, 2013); Grantham; Soldiers consideration of:
methods that can be used for developing Grove). See also Appendix 1 of the MfE • What are the community values and
adaptive plans, including managed retreat. Guidance (2017). aspirations?
The need for early and effective The timing of effective engagement is • Is land available for relocation?
engagement critical for successful implementation of
managed retreat. Community engagement • What criteria are used for allocation of
A major constraint on community and
is frequently undertaken near the end of land?
local government considering managed
retreat processes is understanding the the decision cycle, and may be perceived • Does the community wish to relocate as
viability of options and their funding as a post-hoc legitimising exercise. A a community?
10 PLANNING QUARTERLY• What infrastructure and services should
be relocated?
• Should local government play a role in
providing relocation options?
• Do planning controls facilitate or create
Managed retreat considerations
barriers to the movement of structures necessitate a collective process,
or the development of new sites away involving early engagement, that
from the risk areas?
• Who should pay?
can address the why, where, how and when
• What are the equity issues?
of retreat.
• What funding mechanisms are available?
Conclusions
driven. Efforts to undertake more strategic and McAllister RRJ (2013) “Costs and coasts:
Managed retreat comprises a staged (pre-emptive) relocation actions are less An empirical assessment of physical and
and evolving adaptive planning process common in New Zealand. Early and institutional climate adaptation pathways”
over time that can be implemented National Climate Change Adaptation Research
considered engagement, identifying the Facility, Gold Coast, https://www.nccarf.edu.
in a range of physical, social and values of current and future generations, au/publications/costs-and-coasts-climate-
governance conditions. Managed retreat can avoid disconnects between community adaptation
considerations necessitate a collective and local government and short and longer Reisinger A, Lawrence J, Hart G, Chapman R
process, involving early engagement, that term priorities, particularly where retreat (2015) From coping to resilience: the role of
can address the why, where, how and managed retreat in highly developed coastal
is anticipatory and not forced through
regions of New Zealand. In: Glavovic B, Kelly
when of retreat. The preferred outcome extreme events.
would be the development of a staged M, Kay R, Travers A. (eds) Climate change
and the coast: building resilient communities.
and adaptive set of strategies, based on a Florida: CRC Press, Taylor and Francis;
set of agreed triggers that can start the References 285–310.
managed retreat process allowing enough Boston, J. and Lawrence, J. (2017) The Case Vandenbeld, A. and Macdonald, J. 2013
time before thresholds are reached, rather for New Climate Change Adaptation Funding Fostering community acceptance of managed
than a fixed and single temporal solution Instruments. Institute for Governance and retreat in New Zealand, in Jean Palutikof,
Policy Studies & New Zealand Climate Change Sarah L. Boulter, Andrew J. Ash, Mark
or one that occurs after the damage has Research Institute, Victoria University of Stafford Smith, Martin Parry, Marie Waschka
been sustained. To date, examples of Wellington, Wellington and Daniela Guitart. Eds. Climate Adaptation
successful larger-scale relocations of Fletcher CS, Taylor BM, Rambaldi AN, Harman Futures, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, West Sussex,
communities tend to be reactive and crisis BP, Heyenga S, Ganegodage KR, Lipkin F, United Kingdom
CONTAMINATED LAND 09 475 0222
www.geosciences.co.nz
Contact Geosciences Ltd info@geosciences.co.nz
ISSUE 209 11Copyright of Planning Quarterly is the property of New Zealand Planning Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
You can also read
