What Asia's five mega-deltas can learn from one another
The five Asian mega-deltas are home to approximately 80% of the global deltaic population, and the region experiences 90% of global flood exposure. A review co-authored by Faith Ka Shun Chan, Amelie Paszkowski, Duc Dung Tran (HAPRI Senior Research Associate) and colleagues compares how these deltas build resilience and what lessons they can share.
Context
The review covers five deltas: the Yangtze, the Pearl, the Chao Phraya, the Mekong and the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna. According to the authors, these deltas are increasingly threatened by coastal flooding, saline intrusion and erosion caused by climate change and by human activities such as groundwater extraction and dam construction.
The deltas are at different stages of development, and the authors note that, owing to these differences, various resilience measures have been implemented across them.
Methods
This is a Review rather than a new empirical study. The authors investigate the similarities and differences between the Asian mega-deltas, comparing the hazards each faces and the resilience measures in use at regional, delta and community levels, in order to identify transferable lessons.
Key findings
According to the review, the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna and Mekong deltas use strategic delta plans to identify risk hotspots and guide decision-making.
The authors report that these two deltas also increase resilience at a community level by supporting communities to diversify their livelihoods in response to changing risks and land conditions.
The Yangtze and Pearl deltas, the review finds, have developed forecasting and sensing technologies that allow them to prepare for and respond to hazards effectively.
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.
Policy implications
The authors write that the Asian mega-deltas should learn from one another to integrate effective resilience plans across regional, delta and community levels.
Keywords:
Asian Mega-Deltas
Delta Resilience
Coastal Flooding
Saline Intrusion
Climate Change
Adaptation
Link:
Citation:
Chan, F. K. S., Paszkowski, A., Wang, Z., Lu, X., Mitchell, G., Tran, D. D., Warner, J., Li, J., Chen, Y. D., Li, N., Pal, I., Griffiths, J., Chen, J., Chen, W., & Zhu, Y. (2024). Building resilience in Asian mega-deltas. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 5(7), 522-537.
