Thematic Series: Building with Nature in Integrated Delta Management

As the environmental crisis escalates, the pressure on human systems intensifies, particularly in vulnerable deltas where traditional engineering solutions have been applied. The central question is how we can work with nature to achieve our safety goals while fostering healthy and liveable environments. The perspective of working with, rather than against, nature has been approached using diverse concepts such as nature-based solutions, nature-inclusive design, Building with Nature, nature-positive engineering, and hybrid or green-grey solutions. All of these concepts take the natural system as the starting point for context-sensitive design and decision-making.

Such an ecosystem-based perspective repositions the natural system in relation to engineering solutions. It underscores the need for innovative engineering and highlights the importance of integrated delta management in governing and restoring the environment for people and for nature. This forms the focus of the topical issue in all four journals.