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Disaster risk, livelihoods and natural barriers: strengthening decision-making tools for disaster risk reduction - A comparative case study from northern Pakistan

Small Grant

Keywords

Earthquake - Pakistan - Risk Reduction

Summary

Risks due to natural hazards and exposed populations are increasing, especially in coastal areas, and mountainous regions, where more people continue to live. Natural disasters create humanitarian crises and seriously impact poverty alleviation goals. Earthquakes and tsunamis continue to cause the highest number of deaths but more common hazards, especially flooding, landslides and debris flow – affect great numbers of people and their livelihoods. Nonetheless, natural resources management and natural barriers are often not included in disaster risk reduction strategies and local awareness about their protective role varies.

Effective disaster risk reduction depends on sound land management practices and institutions that support livelihoods.  For mountainous areas, evidence points to the correlation between man-induced practices and landslides. Proper natural resources management, especially forested slopes, or natural barriers, can significantly reduce the impact of landslides and flooding. The importance of sound natural resources management is rarely included in mitigation handbooks or foreign aid packages aimed at disaster risk reduction.  With limited budgets for disaster risk reduction, agencies have not always considered investing in natural barriers as cost-effective insurance against natural disasters.  There are few estimates of the value of forests as protective barriers in mountainous regions.

Unfortunately, awareness of risk and risk reduction actions do not always correspond.  Poor governance, lack of resources, and effective institutions are often the main culprits for land degradation and vulnerability.  If struggling to meet basic needs, many people may have few options but to continue living in hazardous areas - and possibly unaware of the risk incurred by unsustainable land use practices.   In all cases, effective disaster risk reduction strategies should include local capacity building to prevent and respond to natural disasters.  For Northern Pakistan, there are few hazard...

The grant provided by the GIAN for this project totals SFr 48,900

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Project Team

Dr. Ronald Jaubert , Principal Member, Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS) .

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