Coastal lowlands may be defined as coastal areas prone to flooding during extreme storm surges, assuming that no coastal defence structures exist. In the North Sea Region, approximately 12 million people, i.e. 20% of its total population, live in such lowlands areas with particular flooding expose. These areas are also home to major economic activities such as the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg. An appropriate costal defence is therefore a prerequisite for social and economic development of the region. Higher sea levels and a greater risk of storm surges as a consequence of global climate changes require adaptation of proper coastal planning and management systems. SAFECOAST has been set up to face these challenges.

The coastal zones in the North Sea Region are highly productive areas, meaning there is much to loose by flooding and erosion. SAFECOAST aims to better integrate coastal zone management safety into the field of spatial planning. Principally, it hopes to contribute to a sustainable development in the coastal lowlands of the region by anticipating future climate change scenarios. Ensuring safety in coastal lowlands requires namely a detailed assessment of the flooding risk and coastal erosion from a forward-looking and long-term point of view. To find an answer on a question: How should the North Sea coast be managed in 2050 is therefore an important project?s objective.

Expected Outcomes

The main expected outcome is to deepen common knowledge and understanding of coastal lowland flooding and develop a region-wide strategy for its proper management. A range of stakeholders and coastal defence experts, from both private and public sectors, take part in scenarios building exercises. In general, risk assessment on the potential outcomes of climate changes will be carried out, focusing for the most part on its consequences for society, economy and the environment.

Activities

The project is divided into two main parts: cohesion actions and pilot projects defined as focused actions. Each action has a general objective and is related to different activities. Activities within the cohesion actions cover three groups of issues. The first one deals with the definition of common most likely scenarios for climate change in the North Sea Region by 2050, the elaboration of transboundary sustainable coastal defence measures with special respect to ecological and socio-economic effects as well as recommendations for future spatial planning and innovative coastal defence strategies. The second group of actions aims to improve the acceptance of coastal risk management and target groups? responsibilities in the long term. Within the next one, transnational comparisons of risk methods are carried out, which constitute a prerequisite for interregional information sharing and data exchange harmonisation. Pilot projects, on the other hand, focus on two main actions, where the Flanders Master plan 2050 aims to complete an inventory of coastal flooding risk in order to initiate an action plan for the Flanders coast, whereas in Germany and Denmark several coastal areas have been chosen as representative samples to examine the effects of climate change and coastal erosion.

Reported Outcomes

SAFECOAST aims to contribute to a sustainable, harmonious and balanced development in the coastal lowlands of the North Sea Region by anticipating future climate change scenarios. An interesting impact of the SafeCoast project is that project partners in the Netherlands are in contact with the national level to provide potential input for the Dutch Water Safety 21st century programme and the EU flood risk directive process. Preparations have been initiated for initially bilateral relations between the UK and The Netherlands on the topic of flood risk management. The integrated MasterPlan which will be the final output of the project, including activities on safety check of sea defence, flood risk maps, communication, measures and alternatives, comparison of existing Master Plans have now began its final processing. The work is consisting of six actions. Action 1: Common climate change scenarios: Jointly defining and sketching common most likely scenarios for climate change in the North Sea Region by 2050. For Action 1 quick scans on climate change scenarios and on spatial development scenarios in the North Sea Region have been carried out. In order to produce a detailed elevation map GIS data on elevation and population has been gathered. Action 2: The informed society: To improve the acceptance of coastal risk management and personal responsibilities in society in the long-term. In order to gain valid information for future scenario analysis, the University of Luneburg is preparing a transnational survey on risk communication strategies as well as preparations of concepts for education films about coastal flood risk and evacuation. A progress report was published in February 2007. Action 3: Integral Risk Assessment for the NSR: Transnational comparisons of risk methods, a prerequisite for interregional information sharing and data exchange harmonization. Building on COMRISK pilot studies, extracting datasets and implementation with respect to scenarios from action 1, flood risk assessments now and in 2050, building up knowledge of the sensitivity of the risk calculations on the several used scientific methods and transnational comparison. Inventory, comparison and execution of (trans) national risk methodologies, extraction common climate change scenarios from action 1. A report has been published, 'Process Plan Cohesion action 3A' Integral Assessment for the North Sea Region' in 2007. Activities in Action 3 dealing with an integrated risk assessment have been focused on producing a methodology for applying the Dutch method on flood risk analysis to the five transnational case studies. An inventory on the different coastal flood methodologies as well as a specific inventory on modelling the failure behaviour of coastal defences also have been part of activities in Action 3. Preparations for the pilots in Flanders, Denmark and Germany are underway (Action 4 and 5). First draft on the final report has been presented and will be included in the synthesis report. Action 6: Adaptive strategies & Innovative ICZM solutions: Identify existing EU / NSR member state planning mechanisms for the coastal zone, stakeholder mapping, First preparations for the Synthesis of Flood Risk, input in climate adaptation study of Action 1. In addition, management operational practices, analysis of policy responses based on forcast change in coastal risk, advocating flood risk management solutions: gathering examples of good practice of ICZM (examples from the North sea countries) and linking up with national initiatives. A summary of objectives and outcomes from actions to be incorporated in the synthesis report (see further down) has been implemented.