Abstract
Risk management processes increasingly call for enhanced stakeholder participation, and aim to integrate different risk perceptions, concerns and interests. Frequently, this goal is driven by the increased complexity of risk management processes, as risk management processes continuously have to deal with multi-risk situations including impacts resulting from risks of natural hazards and risks caused by misguided social or economic development. Although stakeholder participation is required by different policies, major challenges still arise from the question of how to perform multi-stakeholder participation in practice. In order to find answers, we tested the so-called ‘bow-tie analysis’ as a potential tool to facilitate multi-stakeholder participation with a major effort on integrating stakeholders risk perceptions and interest in the risk management processes. The bow-tie analysis is a commonly used risk assessment technique (IEC 2009) to analyse cause-and-effect pathways of risks, but its application in multi-stakeholder processes in risk management of natural hazards, especially in a European context, is rather new. Using practical experiences from the trilateral Wadden Sea Region we demonstrate the bow-tie analysis’ contribution to coastal risk management processes in this coastal area by facilitating collaborative identification, comprehension and analysis of the management system. The use of a modified bow-tie analysis in collaboration with stakeholders from the Wadden Sea Region proved to be an appropriate framework for enhancing the understanding of risk management processes and fostered disclosure of different perceptions and concerns of multi-risk problematics. The bow-tie can be beneficial as a communication and co-construction tool in risk management processes in a multi-risk context.
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Notes
Beck is referring to an accumulation of ecological, terrorist, military, financial, biomedical and informational risks that has an overwhelming presence in our world today (Beck 2009)
In contrast to a technological perspective, in which risks are defined as the algorithmic calculation: risk = threat x vulnerability x cost (c.f. Ratter 2013).
In the Netherlands, there are the Ijssel and the Reitdiep, the river Ems at the border between the Netherlands and Germany, in Germany the Weser, Elbe and Eider rivers and in Denmark, the river Ribe Å has already caused some flooding events in the past.
In IEC 31010 the bow-tie analysis is highlighted as one of two tools (out of more than 30 risk assessment tools), which is able to assess a given system of management control; and it is highlighted as the only method which is able to integrate multiple causes and consequences in relation to a central event: the bow-tie analysis (IEC 2009)
The Standard 31000 of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provide a framework for management of any risk characterized by a strong focus on practical implementation of risk management processes (Creed et al. 2016, p. 410).
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Acknowledgments
The research underlying this paper has received funding from the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement No. 308438 (ENHANCE: Enhancing risk management partnerships for catastrophic natural hazards in Europe). We thank all the participating Wadden Sea Forum members for their contribution as well as fruitful and inspiring discussions during the stakeholder workshops. We would also like to thank Roland Cormier, Cormac Walsh and our anonymous reviewers for the very helpful and supportive comments on earlier versions of the paper.
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Gerkensmeier, B., Ratter, B.M.W. Multi-risk, multi-scale and multi-stakeholder – the contribution of a bow-tie analysis for risk management in the trilateral Wadden Sea Region. J Coast Conserv 22, 145–156 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0454-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-016-0454-8