Building on uncertainty: how to cope with incomplete knowledge, unpredictability and ambiguity in ecological engineering projects

TL;DRAbstract

Building with Nature (BwN) is an ecological engineering approach which actively uses natural materials and dynamic processes (e.g., sediment, wind and currents) in the design of flood defence projects for achieving both societal and environmental goals (e.g., providing flood safety while providing opportunities for ecosystem development). However, our understanding of natural systems is incomplete and natural dynamic processes are inherently unpredictable. Thus, the exact outcomes and consequences of a BwN project are highly uncertain on beforehand. This uncertainty may hamper decision-makers in their ability to decide and may even lead to hard discussions between project teams and stakeholders about the acceptability of a BwN initiative under consideration. In this thesis, the issue of uncertainty in the context of BwN projects is studied. The results from a case study show that ambiguity about the social implications of a BwN project can be a major kind of uncertainty, because this a

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