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Renaud, Sudmeier-Rieux & Estrella (Eds.). (2013). The role of ecosystems in disaster risk reduction

Bibliographic details:

Renaud, F. G., Sudmeier-Rieux, K., & Estrella, M. (Eds.). (2013). The role of ecosystems in disaster risk reduction. United Nations University Press.

Abstract:

The increasing worldwide trend in disasters, which will be aggravated by global environmental change (including climate change), urges us to implement new approaches to hazard mitigation, as  well as exposure  and  vulnerability  reduction.  We are, however, faced with hard choices about hazard mitigation: should we continue to build dikes and walls to protect ourselves against floods and coastal hazards – though we have seen the limits of these – or should we consider alternative, ecosystem-based solutions? Ecosystem management is a well-tested solution to sustainable development that is being revisited  because  of  its  inherent  “win–win”  and  “no-regrets”  appeal  to  address  rising  disaster  and climate change issues. It is one of the few approaches that can impact all elements of the disaster risk equation – mitigating hazards, reducing exposure, reducing vulnerabilities and increasing the resilience of exposed communities. Yet, the uptake of ecosystem-based approaches for disaster risk reduction

(DRR) is slow despite some very good examples of success stories. Reasons for this are multiple:

ecosystem  management  is  rarely  considered  as part  of the  portfolio  of  DRR  solutions because the environmental and disaster management communities typically work independently from each other; its contribution to DRR is  highly undervalued compared to engineered solutions and thus not attributed appropriate budget allocations; finally, there are poor science–policy interactions on ecosystem-based DRR,  which  have  led to unclear  and  sometimes  contradictory  scientific information on the role  of ecosystems in DRR.

 The aim of this book is to provide an overview of knowledge and practice in the multidisciplinary field of ecosystem management and DRR to encourage and further develop dialogues between scientists, practitioners, policymakers and development planners.

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