A global review of disaster reduction initiatives - Welcome to the ...

3Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiativesERA - backgroundof natural hazards such as floods, storms, fires,avalanches and landslides.Within the sixth framework programme, theDirectorate General Joint Research Centre (DGJRC) has a key role of supporting policy developmentthrough applied research. The JRCwill concentrate on issues of natural and technologicalhazards and will continue to supportefforts which develop a European frameworkfor forecasting, assessing, managing andreducing risks in the community. The JRCwill carry on with institutional projects in thearea of disaster risk reduction, including:138ERA will work to foster closer collaboration andcoordination of research and innovation activitiesat both the national and European levels bymeans of networking of key organizations,involvement of main actors, and project integrationwith EUREKA/“Innovation 2000 Initiative”.The initiative will strive to promote thecoherent development of research and innovationpolicies in Europe by pursuing common targets,benchmarking RTD policies, mapping designatedcentres of excellence, employing scientific andtechnological foresight, statistics and indicators,and supporting the improvement of regulatoryand administrative environments. Finally, it willstrive to ensure the lasting effect of long-termprogrammes covering elements of variable scale.Specific research priorities that are dedicated todisaster reduction include the following:• Mechanisms of desertification and naturaldisasters where research will focus on largescale integrated assessment of land/soildegradation and desertification; long termforecasting of hydro-geological hazardsmonitoring; mapping and managementstrategies; improved disaster preparednessand mitigation.• Impact of environmental issues on health,including methods for risk assessment andthe mitigation of risks of natural disasters topeople.In addition, research will be geared to analysinglinks between climatic change and natural disastersby concentrating on the development ofinstruments that can identify and gauge hazardsbetter, or by working to reduce the consequences• Natural and Environmental Disaster InformationExchange System (NEDIES)http://nedies.jrc.it• Natural Hazardshttp://natural-hazards.aris.sai.jrc.it• European Laboratory for Structural Assessment- Earthquake Engineering (ELSA)http://structural-mechanics.jrc.itThe JRC will further develop a systemapproach to the management of these hazardsand efforts will be centred around its operationand improvement of harmonised Europeanmonitoring systems. A link to the GMES initiativewill be developed. The JRC will focusparticularly on the development of EU policyapplications which contribute to the GMESconcept in three areas of work: support tointernational environmental agreements,assessing risks and hazards, and evaluatingenvironmental stress.In parallel to the JRC projects, other ECDirectorates General are supporting complementaryinitiatives in disaster risk management.In the DG Environment there are projectswhich supplement the research carried outin the EU. Some are linked to civil protectionareas of cooperation such as:• Major Project on Preventionhttp://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/civil/prote/cpactiv/cpmaj01.htm• Flood projects:PREMO98'http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/civil/prote/cpactiv/cpact05g.htmReduce the Risk of Floods in the River GeulCatchment.