Risk mitigation measures, adaptation and flexibility: a case study of flood in the Gironde estuary (France)
Flood risk management approaches have shifted toward the combination of both physical, engineered-centred and governance-based mitigation measures. Governance-based measures, previously perceived as a complement to structural measures, appear today prominent and, especially, are playing a dominant role in flood risk management. In the context of climate changes, the use of governance-based mitigation is believed to foster adaptability; governance-based mitigation measures may be changed along the way. However, the transition to governance measures, for the rural stakeholders in the Gironde estuary, raises some issues when it comes to their flexibility while implemented in combination with the existing structural measures. This paper analyses this combination in regard of the uncertainties related to climate changes.