F.eks. er et stigende antal flodsletter gået tabt gennem århundreder, og eksperterne mener, at vi i Europa ved at bygge diger snart har udtømt mulighederne for teknologisk beskyttelse mod oversvømmelser, så vi i nærmeste fremtid i endnu højere grad må ty til det, der kaldes oversvømmelsesområder.
For example, an increasing number of flood plains have been lost in the course of centuries, and experts believe that we in Europe have, by the building of dykes, pretty well exhausted the possibilities of technological protection against flooding, so that we will, in the near future, have to have ever greater recourse to what are termed ‘retention areas’.