News
Forest landscape restoration is more than planting trees: Case studies from the U.S.
Restored forest lands in northern Oregon.
Photo by Aaron Reuben/IUCN
Forest landscape restoration is about more than just planting trees. It requires identifying the causes of forest degradation and finding the solutions that can bring a balanced mix of forest goods and services. In the last five years, the 23 projects of the US Forest Services’ Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program have restored more than 1.45 million acres. The Program applied methods of thinning and burning to reduce the risk of wildfires, resulting in healthier forests with greater plant diversity and more resilience to pests and climate change. Read more |
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Urban planning can play a significant role in a city's resilience to disasters
Panoramic view of San Francisco
First world cities have an unhealthy dependence on modern engineering solutions for their infrastructure—making their inhabitants vulnerable to disasters, according to Victoria University of Wellington's Professor Penny Allan. "The city's roads, lanes, car parks, parks, squares, and vacant lots should be viewed as an interconnected matrix—one which can be designed for social, environmental and aesthetic benefits, as well as resilience." Professor Allan notes how San Francisco's wide gridded streets, hilly topography and network of parks contributed to the recovery process after the 1906 earthquake and fires. Read more
Cities embrace Sendai Framework
The global advocates network of UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient campaign (MCR) has endorsed the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and committed to scale up efforts at the local level. The core of the MCR campaign is a series of benchmarks called Ten Essentials. Areas of focus include a city’s budget, critical infrastructure, the safety of schools and health facilities, risk-compliant building regulations and land use, protection of ecosystems, and early warning systems. Read more |
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Upcoming Events
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) - COP12
UNCCD will host its Twelfth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) in Ankara, Turkey, which will take place from 12-23 October 2015. Decision makers from 195 member states will attend COP12 to discuss solutions related to desertification, land degradation and drought. COP delegates hope to encourage more involvement of parliamentarians, civil society and the private sector to achieve land degradation neutrality.Learn more. PEDRR partners such as IUCN will be engaging at the COP; we will keep you informed!
Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes - State and Perspectives in Europe
This International Conference will take place on 11-16 October 2015 in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, to exchange scientific knowledge and practical experience regarding wetlands, their state and role in agricultural landscapes of Europe. Topics include agricultural pollution, biodiversity, conservation, restoration and creation of wetlands, legislation, paludiculture, water and climate change. Participation at the conference is free. Registration is open until 30 September 2015. Learn more
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Call for Contributions
“Words Into Action” support implementation of the Sendai Framework
UNISDR has issued a call for contributions towards development of “Words Into Action”, which will be a compilation of tools, approaches and guidelines to support implementation of the Sendai Framework. UNISDR invites partners to nominate experts or representatives who will participate in topic-specific working groups by 3 September 2015. Topics include Ecosystems-based disaster risk reduction as a cross-cutting issue. Learn more
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Scientific Corner
Water security: Gray or green?
This article from Science suggests that “Gray” infrastructure for managing water needs, including building dams, piping water, and constructing protective barriers should make way for “Green” ecosystem-based approaches. Gray infrastructure often damages or eliminates biophysical processes necessary to sustain people, ecosystems and habitats, and livelihoods, while green infrastructure—wetlands, healthy soils and forest ecosystems—supplies clean drinking water, regulates flooding, controls erosion, and “stores” water for hydropower and irrigation. Authors point out that green infrastructures allow for more flexibility and fewer environmental impacts than gray infrastructure, yet more studies comparing costs and benefits of green versus gray approaches should be done. Link to the article
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Opinion
Paying for nature's bounty? It may be the cheaper alternative
Jane Carter Ingram, expert from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), emphasizes the wide-ranging benefits that nature provides to humanity, including “tangible” goods like food, medicine and fuel, as well as "invisible" benefits, such as the regulation of climate, water filtration, flood control and storm protection. Collectively, ecosystem services are estimated to be worth over $100 trillion per year. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) should be pursued, under the guidance of six scientific principles. Read more
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Publication
Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development
This UNISDR position paper reviews the post-2015 sustainable development agenda outcome document from a DRR perspective. The outcome document highlights drivers of disaster risk including gaps in governance, urbanization, poor management of natural resources and ecosystems, poverty and climate change. It underlines targets that relate to DRR (i.e. Sustainable Development Goals 1, 4, 9, 11, 13, 15), and concludes that developing mutual reinforcement between the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be key. Link to the publication
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Job Vacancies
UNEP
Position: Consultant for Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Deadline: 28 August 2015
UNDP
Position: International consultant- Training on Landslides Risk Management
Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo)
Deadline: 3 September 2015
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
Position: Finance, Intern
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Deadline: 30 November 2015
For more information and other job vacancies, please see PEDRR's Linkedin
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