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https://theconversation.com/as-more-communities-have-to-consider-relocation-we-explore-what-happens-to-the-land-after-people-leave-253653>
"Once floodwaters subside, talk of planned retreat inevitably rises.
Within Aotearoa New Zealand, several communities from north to south –
including Kumeū, Kawatiri Westport and parts of Ōtepoti Dunedin – are
considering future relocations while others are completing property buyouts and
categorisations.
Planned retreats may reduce exposure to harm, but the social and cultural
burdens of dislocation from land and home are complex. Planning, funding and
physically relocating or removing homes, taonga or assets – and even entire
towns – is challenging.
Internationally, research has focused on why, when and how planned retreats
occur, as well as who pays. But we explore what happens to the places we
retreat from.
Our latest research examines 161 international case studies of planned retreat.
We analysed what happens beyond retreat, revealing how land use has changed
following withdrawal of human activities.
We found a wide range of land use following retreat. In some cases,
comprehensive planning for future uses of land was part of the retreat process.
But in others we found a failure to consider these changing places.
Planned retreats have happened in response to various climate and hazard risks,
including sea-level rise and coastal erosion, tsunami, cyclones, earthquakes,
floods and landslides.
The case studies we investigated range from gradual transitions to sudden
changes, such as from residential or business activities to conservation or
vacant lands. In some cases, “sea change” is evident, where once dry land
becomes foreshore and seabed.
Through our research, we identified global “retreat legacies”. These themes
demonstrate how communities across the world have sought similar outcomes,
highlighting primary land-use patterns following retreat."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
