Data from Technical University Munich (TU Munich) Provide New Insights into Risk Management (Flood Risk Management Along German Rivers – a Review of Multi-criteria Analysis Methods and Decision-support Systems): Risk Management

2022 SEP 05 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Risk Management have been published. According to news reporting originating in Munich, Germany, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Sustainable and climate-resilient decisions in flood risk management (FRM) are complex problems, which should consider flood mitigation, but also ecological, economic, and social aspects within a collaborative decision making process. In this article, we explore the state of multi-criteria analysis (MCA) and decision-support systems (DSS) in Germany to understand their advantages, challenges in applicability, and potential for future development.”

Financial supporters for this research include European Commission, Interreg Central Europe project boDEREC-CE, European Commission.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Technical University Munich (TU Munich), “A systematic literature review was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles and gray literature published from 1990 to 2020, focusing on the use of MCA and DSS for decision-making in FRM and related river management in Germany. The topic reached its peak of publications in the first decade of the 21st century. In terms of used criteria, 27 out of 40 publications consider all main aspects of decision-making in FRM (hydrology/ hydraulics, ecology, social, economics). In 25 publications, multiple ecosystem services are concealed in the decision-making by considering, besides flood mitigation, water provisioning, inland navigation, energy, and agricultural production. Issues related to the applicability of MCA and DSS are apparent in the publications. These include the presence of an outdated DSS and the low number of publications (six) presenting adaptation strategies for future applications. Moreover, acceptance of decisions based on MCA and DSS can be harmed by uncertainties and a lack of transparency and participation.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Further initiatives that address these issues (participatory planning, consideration of uncertainties, a Germany-wide ‘general DSS framework’ with a legally binding character) would help decision-makers meet holistic, better-accepted, and climate-resilient decisions.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Flood Risk Management Along German Rivers - a Review of Multi-criteria Analysis Methods and Decision-support Systems. Environmental Science & Policy, 2022;135:191-206. Environmental Science & Policy can be contacted at: Elsevier Sci Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, Oxon, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Environmental Science & Policy - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-science-and-policy/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Francesca Perosa, Technical University Munich (TU Munich), Chair Hydrol & River Basin Management, D-80333 Munich, Germany. Additional authors for this research include Laura Felicia Seitz, Markus Disse and Aude Zingraff-Hamed.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.05.004. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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