Group exercise

The group exercise in Session 2 provides an opportunity for participants to apply what they have learned about ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction in Sessions 1 & 2, and undertake a “situation analysis” of their national context in the following aspects:

1. Environment-disaster linkages in the country
2. Ecosystems in the country that provide benefits

The key output of the situation analysis is to identify 3-4 priority sectors that participants would like to prioritize and focus on in developing their Agenda for Action in Session 3.

• Some sample group exercise questions are the following:
• What hazards are typical in your country? (hazard profile)
• What are the most common environmental impacts of disasters in the country? Which sectors are the most impacted by disasters?
• Identify key root causes of disasters in the country. Which of the root causes are linked to environmental conditions? Which sectors contribute the most to environmental drivers of disasters?
• How do ecosystems contribute to physical protection against natural hazards in the country (hazard mitigation)? Which sectors benefit the most from these natural buffers?
• How do ecosystems contribute to the reduction of socio-economic vulnerability in the country (i.e. sustaining livelihoods)? Which sectors benefit the most from these types of ecosystem services?
• Based on the above analysis, identify 3 priority cross-cutting sectors that benefit most from ecosystem services while having the largest potential for enhancing sustainable ecosystem management for risk reduction.