The serious game about water management under uncertainty!
What - given Given the uncertainties about the future - is , what constitutes a sustainable water management plan? Water management is increasingly challenged by pressures from stresses such as population growth, potential sea level rise and potential climate change. Exploring adaptation pathways into for the future will provide provides indispensable support to decision making support in achieving sustainable water management in a changing environment.
The Sustainable Delta Game, helps participants learn about preparing for an uncertain future. In this game a group of participants has the assignment to develop a sustainable water management plan for a river delta. Once the future unfolds, the participants experience what happens in the delta and its environment. Was there a flood or a drought event? What is the opinion of inhabitants? What happened in other countries? Do you need to adapt the water policies?is a serious game that informs and enables communities, stakeholders, elected officials and the general public to better understand water systems and their related restoration and protection measures. It teaches players the importance of negotiation in decision making as well as how to make smarter investment decisions given an uncertain future.
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In this game, two teams of participants are given the assignment to develop and implement a Sustainable Water Management Plan for the coming 100 years in one of three fictional settings:
- Waas River: a lowland river section similar to those found in the Netherlands. Key issues confronted include flooding, navigational drought and nature.
- Te Ara River: a floodplain river section similar to those found in New Zealand. Key issues confronted include flooding, agricultural drought and nature.
- Tainui Harbour: an urban coastal harbour similar to those found in New Zealand. Key issues confronted include coastal inundation, port/transport capacity and nature.
The game challenges the two teams to define sustainable strategies that mitigate specific flood and drought risks, whilst also paying attention to broader development impacts, nature impacts, global and regional events, and the evolving perspectives of local inhabitants. The developed strategies need to be robust and balanced across a variety of performance indicators, and simulate long-term, adaptive management plans. After formulating their own strategies, the two teams must negotiate to determine a single, agreed strategy for implementation.
Implementation of the preferred strategy in the game takes place via a computational environmental model of the chosen area, and occurs over a series of rounds. Each model mimics the area’s economic, social and environmental characteristics, and provides direct quantitative feedback to players regarding the success of their chosen strategy against the performance indicators. As the ‘future’ gradually unfolds, players use their new insights to determine whether or not the chosen strategy needs to be adapted for later game rounds.
Through playing the game, participants can learn about the different short and long-term benefits for the variety of included measures. Facilitated discussions both during and after the game allow players to evaluate game outcomes and discuss what they have learned and would do differently if they played game again. These discussions, in addition to inter-team negotiations during game rounds, facilitate social learning and give participants insight into the perspectives and values of others as well as the role and value of negotiation in decision making.
In summary, the game can be used to support
With simulations based on an environmental model, participants get direct feedback on their policy actions. In addition, to negative impacts of floods and droughts, support of inhabitants, economic growth, and impacts on nature need to be taken into account in decision making about the water management plan. The game does not only support learning about the water system, but also about the decision making process, and how to deal with a changing environment full of uncertainty. After the simulation, the participants and facilitators reflect on the developed storyline and adaptation pathway, and discuss what triggered this pathway and how it can be improved.
The game can be used for:
- Learning about water system impacts
- Learning about adaptive policy making and adaptation pathways As a starting point for discussion
- Discussions about scenarios and sustainable water management
As part of a stakeholder process
To discuss and - Discussions to develop innovative solutions
- Stakeholder processes
About
The original Sustainable Delta Game is game was developed by a team of employees from Deltares, University Utrecht, Maastricht University Maastricht-ICIS, Carthago Consultancy, Pantopicon, KNMI, and University of Twente. The game has been further developed by Deltares and Carthago Consultancy. The NZ River and NZ Coast versions of the game have been developed in close cooperation with the Climate Change Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington.
Contact
For any suggestions or questions regarding the Sustainable Delta Game, please feel free to contact either of the below individuals:
Andrew Warren
andrew.warren@deltares.nl nl
Marjolijn Haasnoot
marjolijn.haasnoot.deltares.nl haasnoot@deltares.nl