Associate Professor Kees Lokman is leading a major four-year project to help communities on British Columbia’s South Coast prepare and adapt for sea level rise and flooding. The Living with Water project has received $1 million in funding from the University of Victoria’s Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS).
In addition to the UBC-based researchers, the project team includes members of the Squamish Nation (Skwxwú7mesh), Tsleil-Waututh Nation, as well as municipal and provincial governments. With the South Coast featuring the Fraser River Delta, Burrard Inlet, and the Squamish Delta, the project aims to examine integrated solutions to provide natural buffers against waves and flooding, provide habitat for keystone species, and support coastal livelihood.
Living with Water will develop new planning, design, and decision-making tools to strengthen three aspects currently insufficiently addressed in the region: Integration of community values and Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in coastal flood risk assessment; decision-support tools for emerging alternate floodadaptation solutions (e.g. managed retreat, multi-functional dikes, nature-based solutions); and guidance on developing multi-level governance arrangements for regional coastal flood adaptation.