TY - JOUR
T1 - Building resilience in Asian mega-deltas
AU - Chan, Faith Ka Shun
AU - Paszkowski, Amelie
AU - Wang, Zilin
AU - Lu, Xiaohui
AU - Mitchell, Gordon
AU - Tran, Dung Duc
AU - Warner, Jeroen
AU - Li, Jianfeng
AU - Chen, Yongqin David
AU - Li, Nan
AU - Pal, Indrajit
AU - Griffiths, James
AU - Chen, Jiannan
AU - Chen, Wei Qiang
AU - Zhu, Yong Guan
PY - 2024/6/4
Y1 - 2024/6/4
N2 - The five Asian mega-deltas (the Yangtze, the Pearl, the Chao Phraya, the Mekong and the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna deltas) are home to approximately 80% of the global deltaic population and the region experiences 90% of global flood exposure. In this Review, we investigate the similarities and differences between the Asian mega-deltas to identify transferable lessons to improve climate resilience. The deltas are increasingly threatened by coastal flooding, saline intrusion and erosion caused by climate change and human activities such as groundwater extraction and dam construction. Owing to differences in the stages of their development, various resilience measures have been implemented. For example, the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna and Mekong deltas use strategic delta plans to identify risk hotspots and guide decision-making. These deltas also increase resilience at a community level by supporting communities to diversify their livelihoods to respond to changing risks and land conditions. Meanwhile, the Yangtze and Pearl deltas have developed forecasting and sensing technologies to allow them to prepare for and respond to hazards effectively. The Asian mega-deltas should learn from one another to integrate effective resilience plans across regional, delta and community levels. Future cross-delta collaborations and knowledge transfer, for example through the formation of a Regional Delta Resilience Alliance, could help to achieve long-term sustainable delta management.
AB - The five Asian mega-deltas (the Yangtze, the Pearl, the Chao Phraya, the Mekong and the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna deltas) are home to approximately 80% of the global deltaic population and the region experiences 90% of global flood exposure. In this Review, we investigate the similarities and differences between the Asian mega-deltas to identify transferable lessons to improve climate resilience. The deltas are increasingly threatened by coastal flooding, saline intrusion and erosion caused by climate change and human activities such as groundwater extraction and dam construction. Owing to differences in the stages of their development, various resilience measures have been implemented. For example, the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna and Mekong deltas use strategic delta plans to identify risk hotspots and guide decision-making. These deltas also increase resilience at a community level by supporting communities to diversify their livelihoods to respond to changing risks and land conditions. Meanwhile, the Yangtze and Pearl deltas have developed forecasting and sensing technologies to allow them to prepare for and respond to hazards effectively. The Asian mega-deltas should learn from one another to integrate effective resilience plans across regional, delta and community levels. Future cross-delta collaborations and knowledge transfer, for example through the formation of a Regional Delta Resilience Alliance, could help to achieve long-term sustainable delta management.
U2 - 10.1038/s43017-024-00561-x
DO - 10.1038/s43017-024-00561-x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85195206028
SN - 2662-138X
VL - 5
SP - 522
EP - 537
JO - Nature Reviews Earth and Environment
JF - Nature Reviews Earth and Environment
IS - 7
ER -