An integrated community and ecosystem-based approach to disaster risk reduction in mountain systems

Klein, Julia A.; Tucker, Catherine M.; Steger, Cara E.; Nolin, Anne; Reid, Robin; Hopping, Kelly A.; Yeh, Emily T.; Pradhan, Meeta S.; Taber, Andrew; Molden, David; Ghate, Rucha; Choudhury, Dhrupad; Alcántara-Ayala, Irasema; Lavorel, Sandra; Müller, Birgit; Grêt-Regamey, Adrienne; Boone, Randall B.; Bourgeron, Patrick; Castellanos, Edwin; Chen, Xiaodong; ... (2019). An integrated community and ecosystem-based approach to disaster risk reduction in mountain systems. Environmental science & policy, 94, pp. 143-152. Elsevier 10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.034

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The devastating 2015 earthquakes in Nepal highlighted the need for effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) in mountains, which are inherently subject to hazards and increasingly vulnerable to extreme events. As multiple UN policy frameworks stress, DRR is crucial to mitigate the mounting environmental and socioeconomic costs of disasters globally. However, specialized DRR guidelines are needed for biodiverse, multi-hazard regions like
mountains. Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) emphasizes ecosystem conservation, restoration, and sustainable management as key elements for DRR. We propose that integrating the emerging field of EcoDRR with community-based DRR (CB-DRR) will help address the increasing vulnerabilities of mountain people and ecosystems. Drawing on a global mountain synthesis, we present paradoxes that create challenges for DRR in mountains and examine these paradoxes through examples from the 2015 Nepal earthquakes. We propose four principles for integrated CB- and Eco-DRR that address these challenges: (1) governance and institutional arrangements that fit local needs; (2) empowerment and capacity-building to strengthen community resilience; (3) discovery and sharing of constructive practices that combine local and scientific knowledge; and (4) approaches focused on well-being and equity. We illustrate the reinforcing relationship between integrated CB- and Eco-DRR principles with examples from other mountain systems worldwide. Coordinated community and ecosystem based actions offer a potential path to achieve DRR, climate adaptation, sustainable development, and biodiversity conservation for vulnerable ecosystems and communities worldwide.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Physical Geography > Unit Geomorphology
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Physical Geography
10 Strategic Research Centers > Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) > MobiLab

UniBE Contributor:

Keiler, Margreth

Subjects:

900 History > 910 Geography & travel

ISSN:

1462-9011

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Chantal Laeticia Schmidt

Date Deposited:

24 Jul 2019 08:11

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:27

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.034

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Disasters, Governance, Mountains, Nepal, Resilience, Sustainable development

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.128038

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/128038

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