Rediscovering South Africa: Flood disaster risk management through ecosystem-based adaptation

Abstract

The emergence of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) has created a shift from the conventional adaptation approaches often accompanied by high costs, including conflicting interests associated with the dense urban fabric and inflexibility. Therefore, EbA presents a potential for more comprehensive, cost-efficient, multifunctional and multidimensional measures in flood disaster risk management. Essentially, EbA integrates biodiversity and ecosystem services as an approach to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. This study adopts descriptive and exploratory analytical approaches aimed at assessing the trends of flood events in South Africa and their potential risk management through EbA. The study reveals that between 1959 and 2019, several major floods have occurred, resulting in losses of life and livelihoods and significant infrastructure damages among others. Recovery has taken years and needed continuous investment. Unfortunately, many communities have not been able to “bounce back/bounce forward”, despite all these efforts. This study revealed that EbA strategies can be instituted regionally and nationally to offer efficient flood disaster adaptation or mitigation in flood-prone areas. In general, utilising EbA can stabilise or reduce flood impacts, minimise environmental impacts and damages associated with flood disasters by developing innovative EbA strategies. Therefore, the study recommends an increased awareness of EbA strategies to enhance universal adoption in ameliorating flood risk.

Keywords

• Ecosystem-based adaptation
• Flood disaster
• Risk management
• South Africa