Floodplains by Design: Linking community perspectives to climate services for adaptive, multi-benefit floodplain management

Climate change is expected to exacerbate flood risk through changes in the frequency, timing and intensity of both riverine and coastal flood conditions. This future flood uncertainty necessitates the integration of advancements in climate science and technology to support adaptive management of flood risks in a changing world. At the same time, social complexity surrounding diverse land and river priorities creates a challenging risk management context. For example, different priorities around fish habitat, farm protection or flood infrastructure intersect with climate risks and adaptation actions in different ways. And, current efforts to address climate change are often piecemeal, lack coordination, and continue to be stymied by limited capacity and resources for stakeholders. Linking climate science with practice requires careful attention to this social context. Climate services that reflect social and policy complexity and the variation in how flood risks are experienced across the landscape are more likely to be used in decision-making. This project addresses this challenge by working directly with floodplain stakeholders in Pierce, Snohomish and Whatcom Counties to identify climate science and capacity-building needs and priorities that reflect different community interests. This work includes a literature review of existing climate resources and plans, semi-structured interviews, and workshops with community members representing farm, fish and flood interests. Initial findings suggest that 'bridging the gap' between science, engineering, and practice requires both decision-relevant innovations in climate information resources as well as greater attention to developing capacity for climate information use. At the same time, identifying and sharing community perspectives on climate risks is necessary to address existing knowledge gaps, and bolster support for climate resilience planning. These findings are being used to develop climate needs assessments, tailor specific climate services and technical support, and co-develop priorities to advance climate resilience in integrated floodplain management.