PIANC’s ‘Working with Nature’ Paper
PIANC has published a new Position Paper entitled “Working with Nature”. This important paper has evolved through an iterative process involving PIANC’s Environmental Commission (EnviCom), PIANC’s partner associations on EnviCom (particularly the Central Dredging Association (CEDA) and the International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC)) and PIANC’s Executive Committee who approved the paper.
Working with Nature calls for an important shift in thinking in the industry’s approach to navigation development projects to help deliver mutually beneficial, ‘win-win’ solutions. It promotes a proactive, integrated approach which: focuses on achieving the project objectives in an ecosystem context rather than assessing the consequences of a predefined project design and, identifying win-win solutions rather than simply minimising ecological harm. Working with Nature thus considers the project objectives firstly from the perspective of the natural system rather than from the perspective of technical design. However, Working with Nature does not mean development objectives are not achieved: rather it ensures that these objectives are satisfied in a way which maximises opportunities and - importantly - reduces frustrations, delays and associated extra costs.
‘Working with nature will extend beyond the natural environment into social and economic aspects’
The PIANC Position Paper discusses the extent to which the Working with Nature concept can already be put into practice, as well as some of the outstanding challenges. It also recognises that developing and delivering such win-win initiatives will take more innovation and imagination in some cases than in others. Notwithstanding such challenges, PIANC is convinced that the rewards of Working with Nature will extend far beyond the natural environment into social and economic aspects. Working with Nature represents an important element of PIANC’s future strategy: it will be actively promoted both within and outside the organisation5 as a necessary way to contribute to truly sustainable development. Working with Nature will also be a key theme at the forthcoming 32nd PIANC International Congress, to be held in Liverpool, England in 2010. An international photo competition is currently being organised by PIANC’s UK Committee to generate images for use in promoting the Working with Nature Position Paper, including an exhibition at the Congress.
The full text of the Position Paper can be found at:
www.pianc-aipcn.org/docs02/ news/Workingwithnature
