Indicators in risk management : a fresh perspective between hazard analyses and societies' response.

International audienc

Indicators in risk management : a fresh perspective between hazard analyses and societies' response.

International audienc

Telluric and Climate-Related Risk Awareness, and Risk Mitigation Strategies in the Azores Archipelago: First Steps for Building Societal Resilience

International audienceIslands are often considered excellent socio-ecological laboratories for testing the rapidity of global change since they experience the climate effects of sea-level rise faster than other areas. The Azores are a Portuguese volcanic archipelago located on the junction of the three tectonic plates: the Eurasian, the African and the North American plates. São Miguel, the main island of the Azores archipelago, hosts three active volcanoes, but the last significant volcanic eruption was the Capelinhos volcano on the island of Faial in 1957. Hence, the Azores offers the opportunity to assess insular risk awareness, facing both telluric and climate-related hazards. The key research question emerges from their natural situation: how does the local population perceive the threat of the natural hazards that occur in Azores? Because risks are socially constructed and depend on the uniqueness of territories, risk mitigation strategies must focus on the individual experiences of local dwellers, as a relationship between risk awareness and such strategies may be expected. To analyze this relationship, a web-based survey with a questionnaire including these variables was administered to a sample of Azoreans. The study aimed to assess risk awareness of the Azorean population and find a relationship between this and reported mitigation strategies. The results gave a preliminary insight into Azorean risk awareness of natural hazards and showed a significant positive relationship between risk awareness-raising activities and reported mitigation strategies. This is relevant information for municipalities and regional governments of areas with similar risk exposures, showing that, although risk awareness alone is not enough for measures to be implemented, it may be an important motivational first step for this to occur

The future protection from the climate change-related hazards and the willingness to pay for home insurance in the coastal wetlands of West Sardinia, Italy

International audienceWetlands are severely endangered ecosystems worldwide. They provide important services, like water supply, recreation opportunities, flood and climate regulation. Still, they are also considered as disruptive areas, a source of mosquitoes and diseases, which is why they are frequently destroyed by changes in land use. Their degradation is likely to advance from this time forth due to climate change processes. It is, therefore, important to examine how the local population understands the importance of wetlands in coping with different coastal risks in West Sardinia. Our study is focused on West Sardinia (municipalities Cabras, Oristano and Arborea), counting for remarkable biodiversity of wetlands. This area is characterized by high environmental and agricultural pressures which intensify the vulnerability of the coastal areas. To test for local population's preparedness to change, data collection was performed through field methods and questionnaires. The study was undertaken by asking key questions on the role of wetlands and willingness to pay to protect from future events (contingent valuation exercise). The results indicate that the locals do not seem to be aware of the regulating services provided by wetlands, but are willing to invest in order to mitigate climate change-related hazards. The obtained results could serve in future governance frameworks for the mitigation of natural hazards in the Mediterranean region and wider

Indicators in risk management: Are they a user-friendly interface between natural hazards and societal responses? Challenges and opportunities after UN Sendai conference in 2015

Risk management indicators are used to mitigate the potentially dramatic effects of natural hazards. Local authorities and managers use them in elaborating rescue and urbanism plans, which do not always work, highlighting society's vulnerability in the particular context of global environmental and climate changes. Within this context, the United Nations (Sendai, 2015) advised to construct a series of indicators to better cope with human losses and economic disasters. Actually, the question is whether or not such indicators do constitute successful decision-making tools. In this article, we critically reviewed the recent literature (from 2013 to 2017) using the Web of Science database of Clarivate Analytics to assess how indicators are currently being constructed in risk management, with a focus on risks of inundations, coastal and seismic risks. This task allowed us to discuss the spatial and temporal scale at which indicators of risk management can be applicable, to what extent they should be physically oriented and if they can fit the needs of governance framework. Based on our findings, we suggest further work on a new series of less descriptive, more dynamic and more user-friendly indicators. Finally, we encourage the dire need for continuous work to overcome the misinterpretation of used indicators and how to reduce the communication gap between the scientific community, decision makers, managers and the population

Analysis of the local perception of multi-risks in the region of North-Morocco, Alboran Domain and Gibraltar Arc.

International audienc

Analysis of the local perception of multi-risks in the region of North-Morocco, Alboran Domain and Gibraltar Arc.

International audienc

Local Risk Awareness and Precautionary Behaviour in a Multi-Hazard Region of North Morocco

International audienceNorth Morocco (region Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima) is characterized by high demographic and economic pressures, which intensify the vulnerability of the coastal areas. Morocco lies both along the Atlantic and the Mediterranean coast, having a rich relief of mountain chains (Atlas and Rif). This diverse context induces the challenge of adapting to environments that are drastically different, and of answering the question to which extent the local population is aware of different natural risks. Risk awareness is addressed as a predictor of precautionary behaviour in a questionnaire-based survey. Here the variables explaining the readiness of inhabitants to protect themselves and their belongings from natural risks in the present and the willingness to invest and to protect in the future are explored. Furthermore, based on the different response patterns in the survey, we used multiple correspondence analysis to identify profiles of typical dwellers. The results indicate local regional differences, where the Rif Mountain dwellers are more prone to protect themselves than the ones living in other parts of North Morocco. Finally, environmental identity indicates that the relationship with nature has an impact on risk awareness and precautionary behaviour. This study brings out information which could be useful for policy makers who should promote ecological concerns and encourage local action in resolving environmental issues when promoting risk mitigation measures

Response to the comment by A. Salhi (2020) regarding the published article ’Local Risk Awareness and Precautionary Behaviour in a Multi-Hazard Region of North Morocco.’

International audienceIn a comment on our manuscript recently published in this journal (Ivčević et al., 2020) [1], Salhi (2020) raises concerns about the manuscript and the study on which it was based, concluding that ‘the article provides a distorted picture of the reality in the study area’. The points raised by the comment are mainly dealing with the literature review and methodological issues related with sampling, and finally little on the content and the results