"The increasing worldwide trend in disasters, aggravated by global environmental change, calls for new approaches to hazard mitigation, as well as exposure and vulnerability reduction. We are facing, however, difficult choices about hazard mitigation. For example, should we continue to build dikes and walls to protect ourselves against floods and coastal hazards --with limited success --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 --by mitigating hazards, reducing exposure, reducing vulnerabilities, and increasing the resilience of exposed communities. The uptake of ecosystem-based approaches for disaster risk reduction (DRR) is slow, however, despite some success stories. There are multiple reasons for this reluctance: 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 therefore not given appropriate budget allocations; and there are poor interactions between policymakers and researchers, leading to unclear and sometimes contradictory scientific information on the role of ecosystems for DRR. The aim of this book is to provide an overview of knowledge and practice in this multidisciplinary field of ecosystems management and DRR. The contributors, professionals from the science and disaster management communities around the world, represent state-of-the-art knowledge, practices, and perspectives on the topic. The book will serve as a basis to encourage and further develop discussion among scientists, practitioners, policymakers, and development planners."--Publisher's website.
Part 1: Why do ecosystems matter in disaster risk reduction? The relevance of ecosystems for disaster risk reduction / Fabrice G. Renaud, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux and Marisol Estrella ; Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) an overview / Marisol Estrella and Nina Saalismaa. -- Part 2: Ecosystems and coastal disaster risk reduction. Investigating the performance of coastal ecosystems for hazard mitigation / Sam S.L. Hettiarachchi, Saman P. Samarawickrama, Harindra J.S. Fernando, A. Harsha R. Ratnasooriya, N.A. Kithsiri Nandasena and Srimal Bandara ; Bioshields: Mangrove ecosystems as resilient natural coastal defenses / Carmen Lacambra, Daniel A. Friess, Tom Spencer and Iris Möller ; Integrating the role of ecosystems in disaster risk and vulnerability assessments: Lessons from the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Methodology Development Project (RiVAMP) in Negril, Jamaica / Pascal Peduzzi, Adonis Velegrakis, Marisol Estrella and Bruno Chatenoux ; Increasing the resilience of human and natural communities to coastal hazards: Supporting decisions in New York and Connecticut / Michael W. Beck, Ben Gilmer, Zach Ferdaña, George T. Raber, Christine C. Shepard, Imen Meliane, Jeffrey D. Stone, Adam W. Whelchel, Mark Hoover and Sarah Newkirk ; A coastal adaptation strategy for the City of Cape Town: An ecosystem-based management approach towards risk reduction / Darryl Colenbrander, Penny Price, Gregg Oelofse and Sakhile Tsotsobe ; Lessons from local initiatives on ecosystem-based climate change work in Tonga / Stavros Mavrogenis and Ilan Kelman. -- Part 3: Water resources management for disaster risk reduction. Good flood, bad flood: Maintaining dynamic river basins for community resilience/ Pieter van Eijk, Chris Baker, Romana Gaspirc, and Ritesh Kumar ; Utilizing integrated water resources management approaches to support disaster risk reduction / James Dalton, Radhika Murti and Alvin Chandra ; The matter is not if, but when and where: The role of capacity development in disaster risk reduction aiming for a sustainable water supply and sanitation / Madeleine Fogde, Luis Macario and Kirsten Carey. -- Part 4: Sustainable land management for disaster risk reduction. The role of vegetation cover change in landslide hazard and risk / Maria Papathoma-Koehle and Thomas Glade ; Protection forests: A key factor in integrated risk management in the Alps / André Wehrli and Luuk Dorren ; Forest cover and landslide trends: A case study from Dolakha District in central-eastern Nepal, 1992-2009 / Stéphanie Jaquet, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux, Marc-Henri Derron and Michel Jaboyedoff. -- Part 5: Policy, planning and future perspectives. Reducing vulnerability: The role of protected areas in mitigating natural disasters / Nigel Dudley, Kathy MacKinnon and Sue Stolton ; Urban disaster risk reduction and ecosystem services / Lorenzo Guadagno, Yaella Depietri and Urbano Fra Paleo ; Applyling environmental impact assessments and strategic environmental assessments in disaster management / Anil Kumar Gupta and Sreeja S. Nair ; Opportunities, challenges and future perspectives for ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction / Marisol Estrella, Fabrice G. Renaud and Karen Sudmeier-Rieux.

xxxiv, 486 p. : ill., graphs, charts, tables

Includes bibliographical references and index.

9789280812213
9789280871906 (e- ISBN)