Environment Agency - Literature review on adaptive pathway approaches in flooding and coastal erosion risk management

Tender description

We want to undertake a literature review to identify evidence available on the topic of development and application of adaptive pathways both within flooding and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) and other sectors, summarising and providing a critical assessment of the evidence over a reasonable timescale (within 6 months). This will be used to understand the FCERM activities and ultimately assist in developing an evidence base and framework for the delivery of adaptive pathways to support the strategic objectives of the developing draft FCERM Strategy. In order to make this transformation, the Environment Agency needs to understand the evidence gaps associated with implementation of adaptation pathways within FCERM and other sectors using learning from national and international contexts. This learning will be used to shape the development and delivery of adaptation pathways across the country and deliver against the key vision of the FCERM Strategy 'to achieve a nation resilient to future flooding and coastal change'. We want to source or create examples where adaptive approaches have been applied to a different contexts (scales, complexities, strategies, schemes and plans), considering all sources of flooding (river, sea, surface water, groundwater, ordinary watercourses). This will be used to support risk management authorities and other partners to develop their capacity to produce and deliver adaptive plans which contribute towards climate resilient places. This will provide the following outcomes: • local FCERM policy, strategy and schemes are based on an adaptive pathways approach, planning for a range of climate change futures and using the best climate evidence to manage, monitor and make the right flood risk management interventions at the tight time • the creation of a national framework to help risk management authorities, people, businesses and public bodies identify the steps and decisions needed to take an adaptive approach to planning for flood and coastal resilience • delivery of the core FCERM Strategy objectives to achieve climate resilient places The first stage of this project is to undertake a literature review of adaptive approaches in FCERM, across national and international perspectives. This will: 1. Search for and summarise case studies and best practice that showcases how adaptive pathways can be delivered at different scales and contexts for all sources of flooding and a range of climate change futures. 2. Make recommendations for what type (e.g. scale, flood risk type, organisation, governance, socioeconomic status) and range of scenarios (e.g. population projections, climate change projections) should be considered when identifying frontrunner locations to test adaptive approaches. The live opportunity will close 16:00 23rd September 2019.