Ecosystems, livelihoods and disaster risk reduction workshop
The workshop, organized within the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR), will bring together scientists and practitioners studying and working in the field of ecosystems and disaster risk reduction (DRR). The participants will have the opportunity to brainstorm on the links between ecosystems, livelihood and DRR in order to help translating knowledge into action.
Rationale:
Ecosystems contribute in many ways to disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, in some cases, the multi-dimensional role of ecosystems in bringing about (i) exposure reduction, (ii) protection, (iii) reduction of vulnerability of coupled social-ecological systems, (iv) increased resilience of these systems, and (v) livelihoods are still not sufficiently understood.
The workshop aims at bringing together both the scientific and the practitioner communities involved in DRR to foster dialogue in order to (1) highlight good practices that facilitate the adoption of ecosystem approaches in DRR when this is appropriate and (2) identify knowledge gaps and needs of both communities in maximizing ecosystem services for livelihoods and DRR.
Objectives:
• To take stock of the latest scientific developments on the linkages between ecosystems and their role in DRR, with a focus on reducing threats and vulnerabilities and increasing resilience of social-ecological systems;
• To take stock of good practices on ecosystem-based approaches for DRR;
• To enhance the dialogue between the scientific and practitioner communities in order to improve knowledge and practice. Format: The workshop comprises oral presentations, a poster display during coffee breaks, as well as “brainstorming” discussions on pre-identified themes. The types of hazards considered are the following:
• coastal hazards including (but not limited to) storm surges, hurricanes, tsunamis, flooding, coastal erosion, salinisation; and
• hazards related to hinterlands such as fires and landslides.
Expected Outputs:
• Workshop proceedings targeting two stakeholder groups: (i) scientists, experts and practitioners and (ii) policy-makers and decision makers;
• Roster of scientists, experts and practitioners working on ecosystems and DRR;
• Research agenda and capacity-building needs identified.