Managed Retreat, Geography

Managed retreat is when the sea is allowed to reach its natural position without the interference of hard or soft engineering. It allows the sea to flood lowland areas.

Many think that managed retreat actually works with the environment instead of controlling it. This is because the fact this concept is based around the sea reaching it's natural position indicates that there is no interference before then. It allows the environment to regain it's original shape based on rock types and land shape. The concept is based on the idea that eventually the sea will reach a state of equilibrium thus preventing further inland erosion. Managed retreat also helps to restore natural landscapes such as salt marshes. These salt marshes not only provide a natural defence against erosion and flooding but also, these more natural environments then encourage wildlife to build habitats here. In this sense the process works with the environment.

In addition it works with the environment because the natural landscape that is allowed to be created provides a good flood defence, especially as sea levels rise. This is because managed retreat lets the land protect itself and adapt accordingly. Therefore, as the sea levels rise, the land is able to adapt naturally to the situation and is, therefore, able to protect itself better, creating a good flood defence.

It, therefore, doesn't really control the environment because it is allowing it to do what it wants. There is no physical defence scheme to control the rates of erosion due to the sea, or create a specific flood defence. The sea is essentially allowed to do as it pleases and the effects can be more damaging than beneficial. Also, there is no guarantee that the situation will become balanced and in a state of equilibrium. By then it is very likely that it will be too late to create an effective flood defence scheme without it costing almost double the price of one planned before. This is because by then the erosion will have escalated and therefore masses of hard engineering will have to be constructed.

Even if there is a state of equilibrium reached there is no solid indication as to how long this will take. In the time it takes the erosion that has occurred could possibly destroy buildings and even end lives.

It works with the environment because it destroys artificial structures due to flooding and allows the area of lowland to be part of the wildlife once more. It also encourages wildlife and birds to the area and restores it to the natural state that it used to be in. Therefore in this context the managed retreat idea works with the environment instead of controlling it.

On the other hand managed retreat does work to control the environment because it is monitored regularly to ensure that no buildings are at risk of flooding. This means that although the environment is left to reach a state of equilibrium without interference

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