Managing risks and conflicts

Question 1

Megaproject

Answer 1

expensive, technically difficult and usually long-term engineering project, many MPs have multiple aims and often large environmental impacts

Question 2

Return period (recurrence interval)

Answer 2

frequency of a flood of a particular magnitude

Question 3

Environmental refugees

Answer 3

communities forced to abandon their homes due to natural processes including sudden ones, such as landslides, or gradual ones, such as erosion or rising sea level

Question 4

Sustainable coastal management

Answer 4

managing coastal zone zone in terms or people and economy, social and cultural well-being, and safety from coastal hazards, minimising environmental and ecological impacts

Question 5

Conflict

Answer 5

disagreement over how the coast should be protected from threats and which areas should be protected, conflict between stakeholders, such as residents versus the local council

Question 6

Littoral cells

Answer 6

all coastlines divide up into distinct littoral cells containing sediment sources, transport paths and sinks, each cell is isolated from adjacent cells and can be managed as a holistic unit

Question 7

Outflanking

Answer 7

when erosion gets behind coastal defences at the point where they stop, leading to rapid erosion inland and undermining of defences