Publication
Malawi 2015 Floods Post-disaster Needs Assessment Report features role of environment for flood risk reduction
The report indicates that the Malawi 2015 floods affected 1,101,364 people, displaced 230,000 and killed 106 people.The assessment focuses on medium to long term reconstruction and provides guiding principles for recovery, including assessment of the damage, losses, and recovery for each sector. The report suggests that the floods showed the importance of trees and wetlands in absorbing flood waters, and the report further emphasizes that planned recovery activities should incorporate an environment management framework. The Government of Malawi will therefore focus on tree planting in key watersheds to decrease runoff and replenish forest cover. Link to the publication
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News
Netherlands announces funding support to strengthen civil societies
Kenyan communities are set to benefit from a 2016 provisional allocation of over Sh5 billion (50 million Euros) through strategic partnership and funding from the Dutch Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFS II). The funding will be used to support local civil societies, including WASH Alliance Kenya, Partners for Resilience (PfR) and the Ecosystem Alliance which have helped local pastoral and agricultural communities to cope with droughts and other disaster risks, promote climate friendly alternative livelihoods and protect the Tana Delta through participatory and responsible management of ecosystems. Read more
Mountain biking trails can lead to forest disasters
Some members of the mountain biking community built illegal trails in the Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve (BMER) in California, U.S. regardless of the impacts to wildlife or to other users. Human-made trails can potentially impact wildlife and their habitat. Invasive and detrimental species often spread to new areas as a result of trails, and scattered dead branches create a fire hazard. The ecosystem in the BMER can be easily damaged and lead to disasters if not used respectfully. Read more
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Opinion
Climate Change earns a place at Development Finance Conference
The Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which ended on 16 July, 2015, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, “was never going to deliver a much-needed increase in funds to help vulnerable communities tackle climate change impacts”, but “there is a much stronger emphasis on climate change and environmental sustainability in the Addis agreement”, said Megan Rowling, journalist for the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda also contains encouraging language around the need for environmental sustainability and safeguards in new infrastructure, but it was still unclear how that would be put into practice. Learn more |
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Call for submissions
The EoE Data Innovation Showcase
The Eye on Earth Alliance invites scientists, volunteer technologists or artists with an interest in using environmental data to manage forest degradation and build resilient cities, to participate in the EoE Data Innovation Showcase 2015. The finalists will have the opportunity to showcase their projects to the delegates at the Eye on Earth Summit from 6th-8th October 2015 in Abu Dhabi. Flight and hotel accommodation coverage will be provided. Deadline for entry is 20 August 2015. Learn more |
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Video of the Week
Restoring eroded coasts in Java by building with nature
Northern Java's coasts suffer from severe erosion. Development of coastal infrastructure and aquaculture went hand in hand with the removal of protective mangrove forests and the disturbance of sediment flows towards the coast and floodplains, which have resulted in major coastal erosion. To counter this, a "Building with Nature" approach was tested in Timbul Sloko village in Central Java, Indonesia by Wetlands International. The approach entails the placement of permeable dams that break the waves and trap sediment, thus reclaiming land. This animation shows how this technique was piloted successfully over the past three years.
Watch the video
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Scientific Corner
Ecosystem Resilience and Community Values: Implications to Ecosystem-Based Adaptation
Recognizing the interdependencies of ecological, physical, economic, social and institutional factors and that community-level perception can shape adaptation actions, a survey was conducted by two Japanese scholars in 36 village councils in Infanta, Quezon, Philippines. Results show the community gives high value to the forest and coastal ecosystems for their provisioning, regulating and cultural services and that autonomous adaptation actions are primarily ecological, economic and social in nature. This implies that ecosystem-based approaches can contribute to adaptation actions by conserving and improving the health of ecosystems thereby sustaining ecosystem services and protecting societies from climate-related disasters. Read full article |
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Job Vacancies
UNDP
Position: Consultant for Development of DRR Country Profiles for High Risk Countries in the Region of Europe and CIS
Location: Home-based with one travel to Istanbul, Turkey
Deadline: 30 Jul 15
UNDP
Position: Programme Specialist, Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Location: Yangon, Myanmar
Deadline: 02 Aug 2015
UNISDR
Position: Consultant, Information Architect
Location: Virtual
Deadline: 31 Jul 2015
Handicap International
Position : Technical Advisor Disaster Risk Management
Location: Haiti (Port-au-Prince)
Deadline : 31 Jul 2015
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