Regionalization of a Remote Sensing based Spatial Decision Support System for Bush Fire Management in Benin

Wildland fire agencies officers need objective and systematic information to make effective decision on fire management. Getting such information is usually challenging especially in developing countries where the required infrastructures or skills are not always available. Recent developments in the assessment of bush fires using remote sensing techniques and the availability of such results enable a systematic study of fire distribution and regime on different spatial scales. In this dissertation, we propose a development of a spatial decision support system for Bush fire monitoring called FIMAT (FIre MAnagement Tool), as well as a case study using the tool developed for Benin. The purpose of this study was (1) to grasp the theories of fire ecology and (2) state-of-art methods on vegetation fire assessment, (3) to develop a Spatial Decision Support System for Fire Management and (4), to regionalize its use to Benin for spatial and temporal fire distribution description. FIMAT is developed in Java using libraries such as Geotools, Jhdf. The fundamental data used by this system are MODIS burned area level 3 product along with auxiliary layers of geographic information. The MODIS burned areas product is derived from processing of combined MODIS-TERRA and MODIS-AQUA 500m land surface reflectance data using the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) in a model-based change detection approach. This algorithm approximates the dates of burning by locating the occurrence of rapid changes in daily MODIS reflectance time series. FIMAT encompasses many processing and report functionalities. A data management system can automatically downloads the required fire data from MODIS Dataserver, if they are not available locally. A fire statistics calculator can generate the necessary information at small spatial scales (e.g municipality) from the original HDF data tile and save the result as Geotiff raster or other file formats. A map editor displays the processing results as a map along with additional layers. The created map can be customized by using the interactive integrated style editor and graphic editor and a chart editor shows generated statistics. Documents can be added to the project in Pdf format and viewed with the integrated Pdf viewer. The textual and graphical information generated by this monitoring tool can help decision makers to monitor and assess bush fire in simple way without them being necessarily specialists in Programming or Geographic Information Systems. It is an application with a simple user graphical interface. It is useful as a tool for operational assessment of compliance to the laws and arrangements. FIMAT has the following advantages over available tools (e.g Web Fire Mapper) - FIMAT can operate off-line; - it permits mapping of additional data layers; - it includes graphical editor and other useful reporting systems; - the maps and charts generated are highly customizable; - it offers more analysis and output options; - it allows assessment at subnational level (e.g communal level). From the investigations on spatial and temporal distribution of vegetation fire in Benin, it results that fire is a recurrent phenomenon in this region. It distribution in time and space follows approximately the same pattern over the studied period 2000-2009. Fires start usually in October and last until April/Mai with a maximum in December. Most of the burnings occur once at every location but some areas can burn two or three times a year. Those multiple burned areas are generally in protected areas where the fuel load is important and the vegetation more continuous. The multiple burned areas are usually extensions of late burned areas on early burned areas in their neighbourhood

But what about the men? : storying rural men's experiences and perspectives of the 2016 Kaikōura/Waiau Earthquake, Aotearoa New Zealand : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Emergency Management at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Listed in 2020 Dean's List of Exceptional ThesesPages 195-198 were removed from the thesis for copyright reasons but the full article © 2020 Elsevier Ltd may be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101648Aotearoa, New Zealand is prone to environmental hazard events, and has experienced numerous significant disasters. While science research has focused on seismic and climate related risks, further research is needed to explore how social constructions of gender shape responses to, and coping strategies in the aftermath of disasters in New Zealand. Gender analyses of disasters also facilitate understanding the ways in which individuals and communities are adversely affected by natural hazard events. This thesis explores 19 rural men’s perspectives and experiences of the 2016 Kaikōura/Waiau earthquake, and critically examines their daily realities in the wake of the disaster. One research participant was Māori, and another was a British migrant, the other seventeen participants were Pākehā [European descent]. The qualitative research was underpinned by a feminist epistemology framed by social constructionism and an interpretivist approach to research. Feminist methodology informed data collection. Semi-structured interviewing was used to gather men’s earthquake stories and identify the subtleties and gendered elements of men’s experiences. Thematic analysis was employed to ascertain key elements embedded within, and across men’s earthquake narratives. Substantive themes identified included: sense of place, emotions, space-time and mobility. Sets of understandings about Antipodean, hegemonic masculinities, coupled with a bricolage of social theories, including the work of Moira Gatens, Pierre Bourdieu, Karen Davies and Doreen Massey provided the analytical framework for the thesis. Theoretical understandings of geographical space in the context of disaster are extended through incorporating Bourdieusian fields and metaphysical forms. An argument is advanced that metaphysical space(s), constituted through memories of, and feelings about the earthquake contribute to shaping participants’ disaster responses and recovery trajectories. The research chapters presented in this thesis explore the ways men’s ontological stories of the Kaikōura/Waiau earthquake were constructed in relation to emotion, sense of place and embedded in multiple mobile temporalities and metaphysical spaces. This doctoral research identifies that rural men’s realities in the aftermath of the Kaikōura/Waiau earthquake were fundamentally shaped by place, spaces and temporalities. Furthermore, place-specific hegemonic masculinity informed men’s behaviours and practices in response and recovery. Participants drew on meanings of, and attachment to place to navigate and cope with adversity and distress. Emotions related to the earthquake were evident throughout the interviews, inferring continuing trauma and anxieties. Nevertheless, men attempted to sustain representations of Antipodean, hegemonic masculinity by actively silencing distress and challenges. The study demonstrates that the research participants’ earthquake experiences were underpinned by multiple, intersecting metaphysical spaces and temporalities that in some cases, complicated and disrupted recovery. The research contributes to an understanding of complexities in relation to men’s personal experiences of disasters. Suggestions are provided for the inclusion of how localised sets of understandings about masculinities shape response and recovery in national and international disaster policies and practices

Migrants’ remittances: A complementary source of financing adaptation to climate change at the local level in Ghana

Purpose – The much-trumpeted Green Climate Fund and several other official financial mechanisms for financing adaptation to climate change under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have fallen short in meeting adaptation needs. Many poorer people are still grappling with the scourge of climate change impacts. Consequently, there has been a dominant research focus on climate change financing emanating from official development assistance (ODA), Adaptation Fund, public expenditure and private sector support. However, there has been little attempt to examine how migrants’ remittances can close adaptation financing gaps at the local level, ostensibly creating a large research gap. This paper aims to argue that migrants’ remittances provide a unique complementary opportunity for financing adaptation and have a wider impact on those who are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is aligned to the qualitative research approach. Both secondary and primary data acquired through interviews and focus group discussions were used for the study. Multiple sampling methods were also used to select the respondents. Findings – The findings show that remittances are used to finance both incremental costs of households’ infrastructure and consumption needs, as well as additional investment needs to be occasioned by ongoing or expected changes in climate. Originality/value – In the wake of dwindling government/public revenue, ODA and poor commitment of Annex II countries to fulfil their financial obligations, the study makes the following recommendations: First, the financial infrastructure underpinning money transfers in both sending and recipient countries should be improved to make transfers attractive. Second, significant steps should be taken to reduce the fees on remittance services, especially for the small transfers typically made by poor migrants. Finally, adequate climatic information should be made available to local people to ensure that remittances are applied to the right adaptation option to avoid maladaptation

Foreword

I write this foreword from the traditional lands of the Ainawan people. It is a complex region of environmental, social and cultural change that has experienced a series of recent and historical natural disasters. It is a region that inspires the multiple ways in which we can co-produce knowledge that protects, transforms, stewards and sustains

Vulnerability to bushfires in south-eastern Australia: a case study from East Gippsland, Victoria

This thesis is an analysis of human vulnerability to bushfires in the Wulgulmerang district of East Gippsland, Victoria, in south-eastern Australia. On January 30, 2003, bushfires devastated the small population of this isolated farming district. The fires destroyed homes, livelihood assets and public infrastructure. They also adversely affected the health, livelihoods and social lives of many local people. Australian bushfire research has traditionally focused on the geophysical dimensions of fire hazards and disasters, with little consideration of how cultural, economic, political and social factors shape people’s exposure to hazards and their capacities to cope and adapt to bushfire impacts. To date, there have been no systematic, social science analyses of human vulnerability to bushfires. The vulnerability analysis presented in this thesis concentrates on two key research questions: (1) How and why were people exposed to hazards during the bushfires? and (2) How and why were people differentially capable of coping and adapting to the fires’ impacts? Qualitative methods were primarily used to investigate these questions, including semi-structured interviews with residents and landholders of the Wulgulmerang district, representatives of government departments and authorities, and others who participated in responses to the fires. The thesis develops a multifaceted understanding of how and why people were vulnerable to the January 30 fires. Vulnerability is shown to arise from the circumstances of people’s day to day lives, which are shaped by factors both within and beyond their control. Local pressures and challenges – such as drought, declining farm incomes, depopulation, limited access to essential services, and political marginality – are shown to increase people’s exposure to bushfire hazards and reduce their capacities to cope and adapt. The thesis demonstrates the fundamental importance of sustainable livelihoods and regional economic and social vitality to the long-term goal of vulnerability reduction

Agricultural vulnerability to changing rainfall patterns: Assessing the role of smallholder farmers’ perceptions and access to weather forecast information in adaptation-decision making : case study of the North-Western provinces, Rwanda

Adverse weather is currently among the crucial challenges facing agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa. With climate change and variability increasing, rainy seasons are becoming more and more unpredictable. Heavy rainfalls and severe flooding have increased, affecting smallholder farming and rural livelihoods considerably. Using qualitative and quantitative methods in data collection, this study aimed at exploring climate change adaptation strategies in North-Western Rwanda, by assessing the role of smallholder farmers’ perceptions on the vulnerability of their farming to changing rainfall patterns, while also analysing the factors influencing the adoption and use of weather forecast information in adaptation-decision-making. I used two different theoretical approaches to analyse the research questions: The ‘’Protection Motivation Theory’’ to study how smallholder farmers’ perceptions on the farming vulnerability to changing rainfall patterns shape coping mechanisms and adaptive strategies, and the ‘’Diffusion of Innovations’’ theory to investigate the role of weather forecast information in adaption-decision making. Results indicated that a high level of awareness of climate threats, of the causes of climate change and coping measures, can be important drivers of the adaptation decisions that can contribute to a well-timed anticipation and preparedness against climate threats. The results also suggest that the adoption and use of weather forecast information in farm-decision making depend much on the accuracy and content of information, communication channels, farmers’ digital literacy and forecast skills. The study recommends that the formulation of better adaptation strategies should base their interventions on farmers’ perceptions and knowledge and integrate it with the weather forecast information

Emergency Communication for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

This project, motivated partly by the recent bushfires, was prepared in cooperation with the Victorian Deaf Society in Melbourne, Australia to evaluate the effectiveness of Victoria\u27s emergency communication system for the Deaf and hard of hearing. The project team compared emergency communication systems in Australia with those of other countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. We conducted onsite interviews and surveys with the Deaf and hard of hearing of Victoria and contacted other important stakeholders. Then, we proposed recommendations to the Victorian Deaf Society aimed to help implement changes that would better alert the Deaf and hard of hearing during emergencies