ABSTRACT
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC, 2007) defines adaptation practices as ‘actual adjustments, or changes in decision environments, which might ultimately enhance resilience or reduce vulnerability to observed or expected changes in climate’. This seems, at first, a new issue; but adaptation is not new to water management. Water managers throughout history have a long record of adapting to the impacts of weather and climate through a range of practices such as irrigation, drainage and flood protection strategies (e.g. Aerts and Droogers, 2004; Adger et al, 2007). In terms of governance and institutional settings, water management also has a track record, such as the establishment of the Dutch water boards several centuries ago.
