The Delta approach

A description of what adaptive delta management is and a guideline how the process can be organized in general. The underlying assumption is that a delta has to be managed as a complex system: you cannot look at, for example, hydropower on its own, a plan has to be integrated, interdisciplinary and long term.

The Delta Approach is characterized by combining short and long term outlooks, dealing with uncertainties through adaptive management and scenarios, doing integrated assessments and plans including the physical environment as well as socio-economic development, involving stakeholders and combining top-down and bottom-up governance.

A document written by Fulco Ludwig and Marcel Marchand is available HERE. This report provides an overview of new approaches emerging in several deltas that can be labelled under the heading of Adaptive Delta Management. Adaptive management can be defined as a structured, iterative process of robust decision making in the face of uncertainty, with an aim to reduce uncertainty over time via system monitoring.

The contents of this report: