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PEDRR Shoutout:
International Day for Disaster Reduction – 13 October 2017
International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR), held every 13 October, celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters. This day encourages every individual, community and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations. Celebrations will focus on Target B of the Sendai Framework: Reducing the number of affected people by disasters by 2030.
We’d love to know how you are celebrating the use of ecosystems in building disaster resilience on 13 October! Jump onto twitter and Facebook to share with the community how you are marking this occasion, using the #EcoDRR and #IDDR2017 hashtags.
More information on IDDR can be found here.
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News
How nature protects communities from flooding
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In the face of intense hurricanes, nature has an important role to play in reducing flood risk for communities. A recent article by The Nature Conservancy looks at case studies where sand dunes, beaches, wetlands, oyster reefs, coral reefs, mangroves and marshes help to reduce disaster impacts on communities. Read the article here.
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Featured Publications
The role of wetlands in limiting urban and rural flood damage
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A new report from the University of Waterloo in Canada assesses the potential for wetlands to affect the financial impacts associated with rural and urban flooding. Researchers found that flood damages were lower if wetlands were maintained in their natural state, with financial cost savings of 29% and 38% in rural and urban areas, respectively. Read the report online here.
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How expanding forest cover can reduce flood damage in India
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More forest cover can reduce the damage that floods cause in India, a new study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K) has reported. The study found that the loss of forest cover can make the ecosystem, human habitation and various natural resources more vulnerable to changing climatic conditions in the form of extreme weather events such as floods and other related natural disasters. Read the report here.
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Opinion Pieces
The Everglades protected Florida from Hurricane Irma
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A recent article in the Miami Herald argues that the Everglades protected Florida from the full impacts of Hurricane Irma. “The more wetlands we preserve, the more sheltered our communities will be from feeling an unbuffered hit from a hurricane.” Read the full story here.
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In a time of hurricanes, we must talk about environmental conservation
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A blog in Scientific American looks at the role of environmental conservation in building resilience to hurricanes. “Without protecting coastal mangroves and marshes and wetlands and coral reefs, there is nothing to buffer us from the impacts of storm waves and winds.” Read the blog here.
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Project Insight
Zimbabwe: Wetland protection turns drought prone community into
climate smart village
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A wetland protection project supported by Oxfam in Chieza Village in Zimbabwe has helped to build the communities resilience to disasters and climate change. “Through wetland protection our work is placing an emphasis on natural ecosystem management, an important pillar for climate change adaptation.” Read more about the project here.
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Upcoming Events
Estonia to host conference on Nature-based Solutions
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The conference “Nature-based Solutions: From Innovation to Common-use” will address nature-based societal functions between science, business, society and politicians. It is a flagship conference under the Estonian presidency of the EU Council and will be taking place on 24-26 October 2017 in Tallinn, Estonia. The conference will be organized by the Estonian Ministry of the Environment and Tallinn University. Visit this website to register.
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Workshop on nature-based solutions for DRR
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The Swiss NGO DRR Platform is hosting a face-to-face EcoDRR workshop titled ‘Grey, green or hybrid? The Potential of nature-based solutions for DRR’. The workshop will draw on the existing knowledge and experience of experts in DRR and sustainable land management to illustrate the multiple benefits of nature-based solutions for risk reduction. The workshop will be held from 6-8 December 2017 in Switzerland. More information can be found here.
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Disaster Law Programme Officer
Organisation: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Location: Kenya
Closing date: 12 October 2017
Research Associate
Organisation: United Nations University
Location: Bonn, Germany
Closing date: 29 October 2017
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Internship in UNESCO's Section on Earth Sciences and Geo-Hazards Risk Reduction
Organisation: UNESCO
Location: Paris, France
Closing date: 14 October 2017
User Engagement Specialist
Organisation: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)
Location: Thailand, Bangkok
Closing date: 10 October 2017
For more info about these job vacancies, please visit PEDRR's LinkedIn.
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