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Delegates at the 4th High Level Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (Photo: UNISDR)
News
Africa aims for substantial reductions in disaster losses
The 4th High Level Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction, which took place in Yaoundé, Cameroon on 23 July 2015, issued the Yaoundé Declaration requesting the African Union to lead on aligning Africa’s strategies with the targets outlined in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). According to the SFDRR, targeted action is needed to deal with underlying risk drivers such as poverty, unplanned urbanization, and decimation of ecosystems. The Yaoundé Declaration calls upon African Union Member States to include and integrate DRR in their economic development policies and programmes. It also recommends the establishment of a sub-committee responsible for DRR within the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment. Read more
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Louisiana Coastal Zone
News
Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Agency awards two projects to Stewards for Sustainable Development
The U.S. State of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Agency has awarded two coastal restoration projects to Stewards for Sustainable Development (RES)’ Ecological Restoration Services subsidiary: the Lake Hermitage project and the Cameron Parish Shoreline Sand Fence Replacement Project. Funded by Deepwater Horizon funds, the Lake Hermitage project intends to create new brackish marshlands in the Barataria Hydrologic Basin, which was heavily impacted by the Deepwater oil spill in 2010. The second project aims to control the erosion of the shoreline and reduce the risk of losing the beachfront, the road and the marshland ecosystem, which serve as protectors against floods. Read more
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Scientific Corner
Determinants of the lethality of climate-related disasters in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM): a cross-country analysis
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T his is the first quantitative study investigating the regional determinants of lethality of disasters in the Caribbean. It analyses the relationship between the components of human, built, social, and natural capitals on mortality due to hurricanes worldwide. The conclusion is that a combination of infrastructure and well-preserved natural ecosystems might offer a good protection service against the impact of hurricanes. The authors also point out that Haiti and El Salvador are representative countries to present a causal relation between deforestation and local flooding impacts. Read full article |
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Navigating complexity through knowledge co-production: Mainstreaming ecosystem services into disaster risk reduction
The complexities of ecosystem services and their management pose an obstacle to mainstreaming ecosystem-based DRR into decision-making. This paper develops and applies a knowledge co-production approach which brings together multiple disciplines, sectors, and stakeholders to jointly produce the knowledge needed to understand and manage a social-ecological system. This approach was piloted in South Africa across four case studies and proved useful in the development of shared knowledge on the sizable contribution of ecosystem services to DRR. Read full article
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Call for Proposals
ESCAP Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness
In anticipation of a forthcoming replenishment of the Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness, the United National Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is calling for project proposals to build and enhance tsunami, disaster and climate preparedness capacities, particularly end-to-end early warning for coastal hazards. Governments, international organisations as well as academic institutions can all apply for the fund. The deadline for application is 30 September 2015. Learn more
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Upcoming Event
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015
The focus of this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction is on the traditional, indigenous and local knowledge which complement modern science and add to an individual’s and societies’ resilience. Under the campaign slogan, Knowledge for Life, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) is seeking nominations from governments, local governments and civil society organizations for communities which should be declared Champions of Disaster Risk Reduction for their efforts. The first communities to be designated Champions will be announced on International Day for DRR on October 13, 2015. Learn more
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Blog
How to quantify the stormwater benefits of trees
Trees have the potential to provide significant stormwater benefits. The stormwater benefits of Tree best management practices (BMP) have been quantified in a number of different ways. This blog series written by Nathalie Shanstrom, a sustainable landscape architect, describe applications, pros and cons of representative models and calculators that are divided into 4 categories: tree benefit calculators, stormwater credit systems, single event stormwater models, and continuous stormwater models. The blog is continuously updated. Read more
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Job Vacancies
UNDP
Position: Consultant – Innovation and Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Deadline: 07 Aug 2015
Position: Consultant - GEF Biodiversity Mainstreaming and Project Design Specialists
Location: Home Based
Deadline: 07 Aug 2015
Position: Expert on Forestry and Land Use
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Deadline: 07 Aug 2015
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Position: Disaster Law Programme Intern
Location: Switzerland (Geneva)
Deadline: 16 August 2015
For more information, please see PEDRR's Linkedin
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