Search Results (34)

Disaster headlines often underscore devastation and loss while overlooking success stories where proactive disaster risk reduction (DRRM) measures have averted catastrophe, saved lives, and reduced economic damage. This study addresses the gap in documentation and analysis of DRRM success stories in Africa, particularly within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), arguing that the absence of such narratives hampers a shift from reactive to proactive disaster risk governance. The research aims to extract critical lessons from success stories for enhancing future preparedness and response frameworks. A qualitative research design was employed, integrating document analysis, expert interviews, field observations, and practitioner workshops. Data was triangulated from diverse sources, including national disaster management agency reports (e.g., South Africa’s NDMC, Botswana’s NDMO, Mozambique’s INGC), peer-reviewed literature, UNDRR reports, SADC policy documents, and first-hand experiences from the authors’ consultancy work in the African Union’s biennial DRRM reporting processes. Case studies examined include Mozambique’s response to Cyclone Idai in 2019, South Africa’s drought and flood risk governance (e.g., the 2023 floods in Eastern and Western Cape), and Malawi’s flood resilience programs. Findings reveal that successful DRRM outcomes are driven by a combination of anticipatory governance, community-based preparedness, integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKSs), and investment in infrastructure and ecosystem-based adaptation. These cases demonstrate that locally embedded, yet scientifically informed, interventions enhance resilience and reduce disaster impacts. The study underscores the relevance of theoretical frameworks such as resilience theory, narrative theory, and social learning in interpreting how success stories contribute to institutional memory and adaptive capacity. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for institutionalizing success-story documentation in national DRRM frameworks, scaling up community engagement in risk governance, and fostering regional knowledge-sharing platforms within the SADC. Furthermore, the paper advocates for making DRRM success stories more visible and actionable to transition toward more anticipatory, inclusive, and effective disaster risk management systems. Full article

Landslides pose a significant threat to Taiwan’s mountainous regions, particularly after extreme weather events such as typhoons. This study introduces a machine learning framework for post-disaster land use-land cover (LULC) classification and landslide detection in Nanfeng Village, central Taiwan, following Typhoon Khanun in August 2023. Using high-resolution Pléiades imagery and 22 environmental and spectral factors, a Random Forest classifier was developed. To address class imbalance, the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) was systematically evaluated across multiple variants. The Distance_SMOTE method yielded the best results, increasing overall accuracy from 74% to 85% and the Kappa coefficient from 0.69 to 0.82. F1-scores for landslides, roads, and grassland improved markedly, reaching 0.97, 0.85, and 0.78, respectively. The optimized model produced accurate pre- and post-typhoon LULC maps, revealing significant expansion of landslide zones after the event. This study demonstrates the practical value of combining SMOTE-based resampling with Random Forest for rapid, reliable post-disaster assessment, offering actionable insights for disaster response and land management in data-imbalanced conditions. By enabling timely mapping of hazard-affected areas and informing targeted recovery actions, the approach supports disaster risk reduction, sustainable land use planning, and ecosystem restoration. These outcomes contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land), by strengthening community resilience, promoting climate adaptation, and protecting terrestrial ecosystems in hazard-prone regions. Full article

This review examines South Africa’s escalating flood vulnerability through a synthesis of over 80 peer-reviewed articles, historical records, policy reports, and case studies. Using a PRISMA-guided analysis, the study identifies key climatic drivers, including extreme rainfall from tropical–temperate interactions, cut-off lows, and La Niña conditions that interact with structural weaknesses such as inadequate drainage, poorly maintained stormwater systems, and rapid urban expansion. Apartheid-era spatial planning has further entrenched risk by locating marginalised communities in floodplains. Governance failures like weak disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies, fragmented institutional coordination, and insufficient early warning systems intensify flood vulnerabilities. Catastrophic events in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and the Western Cape (WC) illustrate the consequences exemplified by the April 2022 KZN floods alone, which caused over 450 deaths, displaced more than 40,000 people, and generated damages exceeding ZAR 17 billion. Nationally, more than 1500 flood-related fatalities have been documented in the past two decades. Emerging resilience pathways include ecosystem-based adaptation, green infrastructure, participatory governance, integration of Indigenous knowledge, improved hydrological forecasting, and stricter land-use enforcement. These approaches can simultaneously reduce physical risks and address entrenched socio-economic inequalities. However, significant gaps remain in spatial flood modelling, gender-sensitive responses, urban–rural disparities, and policy implementation. The review concludes that South Africa urgently requires integrated, multi-scalar strategies that combine scientific innovation, policy reform, and community-based action. Embedding these insights into disaster management policy and planning is essential to curb escalating losses and build long-term resilience in the face of climate change. Full article

The growing frequency and severity of climate-induced disasters—such as floods, heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires—pose significant threats to sustainable development worldwide. Integrating Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has emerged as a strategy imperative for enhancing societal resilience and protecting developmental gains. This review synthesizes the current knowledge and practice at the intersection of CCA and DRR, drawing on international frameworks, national policies, and local implementation strategies. We assess the role of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030), the Paris Agreement, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in promoting policy coherence and multi-level governance. Particular attention is given to the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA), and community-based approaches that address both climate vulnerabilities and disaster risks while delivering co-benefits for ecosystems and livelihoods. Case studies from regions highly exposed to climate-related hazards, including the Global South and Europe, illustrate how integrated approaches are operationalized and what barriers persist, including institutional silos, limited financing, and data gaps. For example, Bangladesh has achieved over a 70% reduction in flood-related mortality, while Kenya’s drought-resilient agriculture has increased food security by 35% in affected regions. The review highlights best practices in risk-informed planning, participatory decision-making, and knowledge co-production, emphasizing the need for inclusive governance and cross-sector collaboration. By critically examining the synergies and trade-offs between adaptation and risk reduction, this paper offers a pathway to more resilient, equitable, and sustainable development. It concludes with recommendations for enhancing integration at the policy and practice levels, supporting both immediate risk management and long-term transformation in a changing climate. Full article

Quantitative assessment of ecological resilience is crucial for understanding regional ecological security and provides a scientific basis for ecosystem protection and management decisions. Previous studies on ecological resilience evaluation predominantly focused on ecosystem resistance and recovery capacity under external threats. To address this gap, we propose an innovative assessment framework integrating landscape internal structure indicators—habitat suitability (HS), landscape connectivity (SHDI), and landscape diversity (LCI)—into the resilience paradigm. This approach enables the adjustment of landscape patterns, optimization of energy/material flows, and direct enhancement of ecosystem functions to improve regional ecological resilience. Using the ecological barrier area in northern Qinghai as a case study, we employed geographic grid technology to evaluate ecological resilience levels from 2000 to 2020. Combined with geological disaster risk assessment, ecological regionalization was established. The FLUS model was then applied to simulate land use changes under inertia development (ID) and ecological protection (EP) scenarios, projecting future ecological resilience dynamics. Key findings specific to the study area include: (1) In northern Qinghai, grassland degradation was prominent (2000–2020), primarily converting to barren land. (2) Landscape connectivity and diversity declined, leading to a 6% reduction in ecological resilience over twenty years. (3) Based on ecological resilience and geological disaster risk, three ecological management zones were delineated: prevention and protection areas (40.94%), key supervision areas (38.77%), and key ecological restoration areas (20.09%). (4) Compared with 2020, ecological resilience in 2030 decreased by 23.38% under the ID scenario and 14.28% under the EP scenario. The EP scenario effectively mitigated the decline of resilience. This study offers a novel perspective for ecological resilience assessment and supports spatial optimization of land resources to enhance ecosystem sustainability in ecologically vulnerable regions. Full article

The confluence of global warming, the urban heat island effect, and alterations in the nature of underlying surfaces has led to a continuous escalation in the frequency, scale, and intensity of fires within urban green spaces. Mitigating or eliminating the adverse effects of such fires on the service functions of urban ecosystems, while enhancing the resilience of urban greening systems in disaster prevention and risk reduction, has become a pivotal challenge in modern urban development and management. Academic focus has progressively broadened from isolated urban and forest domains to encompass the more intricate environments of the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) and urban–suburban forests, with a particular emphasis on the distinctive characteristics of urban greening and in-depth research. This study employs a combination of CiteSpace bibliometric analysis and a narrative literature review to comprehensively examine three critical aspects of urban fire safety as follows: (1) the evaluation of the fire-resistant performance of landscape plants in urban green spaces; (2) the mechanisms of fire behavior in urban greening systems; and (3) the assessment and prediction of urban fire risks. Our findings indicate that landscape plants play a crucial role in controlling the spread of fires in urban green spaces by providing physical barriers and inhibiting combustion processes, thereby mitigating fire propagation. However, the diversity and non-native characteristics of urban greenery species present challenges. The existing research lacks standardized experimental indicators and often focuses on single-dimensional analyses, leading to conclusions that are limited, inconsistent, or even contradictory. Furthermore, most current fire spread models are designed primarily for forests and wildland–urban interface (WUI) regions. Empirical and semi-empirical models dominate this field, yet future advancements will likely involve coupled models that integrate climate and environmental factors. Fire risk assessment and prediction represent a global research hotspot, with machine learning- and deep learning-based approaches increasingly gaining prominence. These advanced methods have demonstrated superior accuracy compared to traditional techniques in predicting urban fire risks. This synthesis aims to elucidate the current state, trends, and deficiencies within the existing research. Future research should explore methods for screening highly resistant landscape plants, with the goal of bolstering the ecological resilience of urban greening systems and providing theoretical underpinnings for the realization of sustainable urban environmental security. Full article

Driven by the growing frequency of flood risks, this study focused on farming water resource management (FWRM) as an ecosystem-based solution. Despite its significance, there are limited studies investigating paddy farmers’ community-based adaptations (CBAs) for managing diverse farming water resources at a micro-spatial level, particularly within multidimensional communities. This study aims to bridge this gap and focuses on how community diversity and household characteristics impact farmers’ adaptation to different CBA methods. We conducted a household questionnaire survey in floodplain paddy farming communities in Kawasoti Municipality, Nepal, based on cultural, socioeconomic, and settlement diversity. The questionnaire was subjected to farmers’ CBAs for integrated FWRM and multiple structural and nonstructural adaptation measures for irrigation and rivers. The results showed that farmer participation varied across community groups. To understand the most important associated factors within community diversity and household attributes to adopt different water resources, the most adopted structural measures of water flow management (54%) from irrigation and buffer zone vegetation (54%) from rivers were analyzed. We used the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector model, which suggests that water accessibility associated with community diversity, landholding, and water intake is important to improve farmers’ participation in irrigation management. However, for river management, community diversity, which relates to location in relation to a river and is associated with household income and farmland distance, is an important factor. Full article

Climate change has increased the frequency and scale of heavy rainfall, increasing the risk of shallow landslides due to heavy rainfall. In recent years, ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) has attracted attention as one way to reduce disaster risks. Vegetation is known to increase soil strength through its root system and reduce the risk of shallow landslides. To reduce the risk of shallow landslides using vegetation, it is necessary to quantitatively evaluate the effects that vegetation has on shallow landslides. In this study, we constructed a generalized linear model (GLM) and random forest (RF) model to quantitatively evaluate the impact of differences in the vegetation, such as grasslands and forests, on the occurrence of shallow landslides using statistical methods. The model that resulted in the lowest AIC in the GLM included elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, undulation, TWI, geology, and vegetation as primary factors, and the hourly rainfall as a trigger factor. The slope angle, undulation, and hourly rainfall were selected as significant explanatory variables that contribute positively to shallow landslides. On the other hand, elevation and TWI were selected as significant explanatory variables that contribute negatively to shallow landslides. Significant differences were observed among multiple categories of vegetation. The probability of shallow landslide in secondary grasslands was approximately three times that of coniferous and broadleaf forests, and approximately nine times that of broadleaf secondary forests. The landslide probability of shrubs was approximately four times that of coniferous and broadleaf forests, and approximately ten times that of broadleaf secondary forests. The results of constructing the RF model showed that the importance was highest for the hourly rainfall, followed by geology, then elevation. AUC values for the GLM and RF model were 0.91 and 0.95, respectively, indicating that highly accurate models were constructed. We quantitatively showed the impact of differences in vegetation on shallow landslides. The knowledge obtained in this study will be essential for considering appropriate vegetation management to reduce the risk of future shallow landslides. Full article

Mountains are remarkable storehouses of global biodiversity that provide a broad range of ecosystem services underpinning billions of livelihoods. The world’s network of protected areas includes many iconic mountain landscapes. However, only ca. 19% of mountain areas globally are protected (excluding Antarctica); many mountain areas are inadequately (<30% of their total terrestrial area) or completely unprotected. To support the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s Global Biodiversity Framework goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s lands by 2030, we have developed a strategic decision-support tool for identifying and prioritizing which candidate mountain areas most urgently require protection. To test its efficacy, we applied the tool to the Western Himalaya Case Study Area (WHCSA). The six-step algorithm harnesses multiple datasets including mountain Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), World Terrestrial Ecosystems, Biodiversity Hotspots, and Red List species and ecosystems. It also makes use of other key attributes including opportunities for disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, developing mountain tourism, maintaining elevational gradients and natural ecological corridors, and conserving flagship species. This method resulted in nine categories of potential action—four categories for follow-up action (ranked by order of importance and priority), and five categories requiring no further immediate action (either because countries are inadequately equipped to respond to protection deficits or because their KBAs are deemed adequately protected). An area-based analysis of the WHCSA identified 33 mountain KBAs regarded as inadequately protected, which included 29 inadequately protected World Mountain Ecosystems. All 33 inadequately protected KBAs in the WHCSA are Category A1: first-priority mountain KBAs (located in the Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot in developing countries), requiring the most urgent attention for protection and conservation. Priorities for action can be fine-filtered by regional teams with sufficient local knowledge and country-specific values to finalize lists of priority mountain areas for protection. This rapid assessment tool ensures a repeatable, unbiased, and scientifically credible method for allocating resources and priorities to safeguard the world’s most biodiverse mountain areas facing myriad threats in the Anthropocene. Full article

The evidence for the capacity of mangrove forests for coastal protection gained more importance within the recent decade because of important international agreements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. However, the degree to which researchers agree on the capacity of mangroves to reduce coastal hazards is not fully established. This study employed a multilevel review process that selected 45 peer-reviewed articles for detailed analysis. Significant findings revealed a strong agreement amongst scientific literature on the benefits of mangrove forests in reducing coastal hazards. However, findings also revealed the dominance of single-discipline research, and less representation of countries in Africa and South America. Limitations in sampled studies highlight the limited number of global studies conducted on mangrove forests’ effectiveness in attenuating coastal hazards, and the limited representation of development and disaster studies. It is recommended that future research on mangrove forests and their coastal hazard reduction capacity should explore multidisciplinary approaches, and synergies in fieldwork and simulation methods while considering possible future climate change situations. Full article

Globally, drought is an increasing threat to agricultural ecosystems, resulting in impaired crop yields, high food prices, and low incomes for farmers. Fluctuations in crop production and prices can exert a negative transboundary effect on food exporting and importing countries across the world through international trade. Therefore, it is important to regionally assess agricultural drought risk to reduce crop yield reduction by adapting existing systems. In this study, from the perspective of Chinese sugar security, a comprehensive assessment index of drought risk of sugarcane was constructed by considering the atmosphere–soil–crop continuum. Based on disaster-causing factors (hazards) and exposure, vulnerability, and mitigation capabilities of disaster subjects (disaster bearers), a risk assessment model of drought disaster of sugarcane in the growing season was established. Results of this study were three-fold. First, the maximum entropy model accurately reflected the reliability and relative importance of the disaster-causing factors of vegetation condition index (VCI), soil moisture condition index (SMCI), and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), with the area under the curve value of the comprehensive drought risk of sugarcane being greater than 0.75. Second, the drought frequency and impact range in four growth stages of sugarcane significantly declined with the increasing drought severity. Light drought was prevalent in each growth stage, and the occurrence frequency of severe drought was relatively low. The drought frequency was significantly higher in the seedling and maturity stages than in the tillering and stem elongation stages, and the drought distribution was mainly concentrated in the southwest and central regions. Finally, the spatial distribution characteristics of drought risk significantly differed among the four growth stages of sugarcane. The risk level in the seedling stage declined from the southwest to the northeast. The high risk in the tillering stage was mainly concentrated in the southwest and northeast of the study region. In the stem elongation stage, the southwest became a low- risk area. In the maturity stage, the risk level was higher in the southeast than in the other areas. As sugarcane is majorly planted on dry slopes with uneven rainfall, a lack of good infrastructure, and the further intensification of global warming, sugarcane areas that were highly exposed to drought stress were highly vulnerable to drought risk, which in turn weakens farmers’ willingness to plant, thus threatening the security of sugar and biofuel production. Full article

Land consumption and climate change have intensified natural disasters in urban areas. In response to these emergencies under the European 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals have been established to improve ecosystem protection and increase resilience and adaptation to natural disasters globally (Goal 13 “Climate action” and Goal 15 “Life on land”). In order to implement governance tools appropriately, it is necessary to know the relationships among the drivers, the changes in the state of urban ecosystems and agro-ecosystems, and the impact on the supply of goods and services at spatial and temporal scales. In this paper, Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes (LULCCs) in the metropolitan area of Rome have been investigated, with the purpose of detecting the synergistic variations in the supply of the flood mitigation and agricultural production ecosystem services (ES). The methodology is based on a GIS (Geographic Information System) analysis that identifies the transformation processes and permanencies related to land-cover. The variation in flood mitigation services was quantified through the use of the Urban Flood Risk Mitigation Model (UFRM) from the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) suite, while the variation in agricultural production through productivity coefficients was associated with changes in land-uses. Finally, an analysis of LULC-induced synergies and trade-offs between the two services was performed. The results show a net negative change in ES supply, caused mainly by urbanization at the expense of agricultural land. This decrease in ES supply is not offset by other LULCC transitions. In addition, the analysis of synergies and trade-offs between flood mitigation ES and agricultural production ES (in arable land, orchards, vineyards, and olive groves) shows that the reduction of agricultural land negatively affects both ES. The innovative contribution of this paper lies in setting an integrated methodology that is able to investigate how LULCC influences both hydraulic safety and food security. Findings can be useful to support planning of enhancing the role of agriculture in metropolitan areas. Full article

The impact of disasters has increased and intensified due to climate change, and its adverse impacts which have caused many losses and damage among communities worldwide. Studies have confirmed that the main causal factor is the adverse impact on the natural environment and its processes due to anthropogenic activities. Therefore, decision-makers are looking for new measures and approaches where ecosystems and nature-based solutions are recognised as successful and sustainable solutions. However, applications of ecosystems or nature-based solutions seem inadequate, particularly in planning disaster risk reduction at the local level. In this context, this paper aims to examine the policy perspective on green and blue infrastructure as a nature-based solution for better preparedness in disaster risk reduction. The study is based on a detailed literature review, combining a policy review supported by a review of academic papers. The results confirmed that international policies and frameworks recognised the importance of ecosystems or nature-based solutions as a best practice for disaster risk reduction where green and blue infrastructure can be successfully integrated. In conclusion, translating the ideas of nature-based solutions from international policies and frameworks into local and national level planning will strengthen community resilience through better preparedness. Full article

Contemporary water and environmental governance must address the diverse common objectives that have merged to target economic development, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Climate and land use changes, coupled with natural environmental hazards, generate immense and complex issues and challenges around the globe. Multilateral environmental agreements, the EU Water Framework and other directives, national policies and international conventions relevant to water and environmental governance indicate an ecosystem approach. With respect to disaster risk reduction, all the Sendai Framework priorities include ecosystems. The natural water retention capacity (hydrological ecosystem services) of river basins benefits from water/environmental governance and the disaster risk reduction perspective of selected environmental hazards is elaborated upon; the presented results underline the measures that improve river basin management and increase resilience to natural environmental hazards at selected river basins. Full article

Nature-based solutions (NbSs) have long recognized the value of coastal and marine ecosystem management and associated ecosystem services as useful tools for climate change mitigation (e.g., blue carbon) and adaptation (e.g., coastal protection against flooding and storm surges). However, NbSs remain poorly acknowledged and mostly absent from coastal planning for disaster risk reduction policies in the Caribbean, as well as from ex-post disaster reconstruction funds. With the increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes in the region, NbSs are now more needed than ever. Taking Mexico as a representative case study for the wider Caribbean, we here seek to identify and analyze the barriers and opportunities perceived by relevant stakeholders for mainstreaming coastal-marine NbSs into coastal management and disaster risk reduction policies (e.g., mangroves as green infrastructure) to protect coastal societies and national economies against hurricanes. We conduct semi-structured, in-depth interviews with twenty stakeholders covering academic, governmental, tourism, NGO, coastal planning, and financial domains. Among the twenty-three identified barriers, governance, institutional, financial, and human-capacity aspects are the most dominant perceptions behind the current lack of NbS implementation. Future action for the policy integration of NbSs requires widespread political will and better quantification of both the provision of ecosystem services and their economic benefits under conventional markets. Full article