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

development of Africa, deserves attention. Itsdraft programme of action includes six priorityareas: land degradation, desertification anddrought, wetlands, climate change and crossborderconservation and management of naturalresources.Environmental policies and planningAs in the case of environmental legislation,environmental and disaster reduction policiesneed to be mutually supportive as part of thesustainable development agenda. The criticalgap between macro economic policy-makingand environmental hazard considerationsneeds to be addressed. Sustainability and longtermbenefits will result from integrating hazardthinking into decision-making relating toenvironmental practices.Designing a national environmental actionplan (NEAP) is a formal standardised processthat is widely used. Characteristics of disasterreduction and environmental policies are similar.Both are meant to meet local need and sustainabledevelopment requirements, producemultiple benefits, rest on extensive participationof the public and all relevant sectoral anddisciplinary stakeholders. Socio-economicgoals, including poverty reduction, expansionof food security, improvement of human settlementsconditions, maintenance of resourcebase for future generations will be met if environmentalproblems and risk are reduced.Some of the features of integrated environmental/disasterreduction policies include:• Assessment of environmental forces ofhazards occurrence and vulnerability• Assessment of environmental actions thatreduce vulnerability• Assessment of environmental consequencesof disaster reduction actions• Consideration of environmental servicesin decision making processes• Broad-based and interdisciplinaryapproach that will ensure the integrateduse of natural and social sciences in disasterreduction planning and decision making• Partnerships and regional approaches toland use and nature conservation• Reasonable alternatives to conflicts concerningalternative uses of resourcesA selection of disaster reduction applications• Advice and information to involved actorsin enhancing the quality of the environmentWater policies (water pricing and hydropowerregulation) offer an example of environmentalpolicies with a beneficial impact on disasterreduction. They can be designed to promotesustainable use of water and allow adjustmentsdepending on seasonal forecasts to avoidfloods. Water policies guarantee that work onwetlands, floodplains and open spaces to storeand cleanup runoff is undertaken. Furthermore,flood and drought risk management areincreasingly looked at in the context of waterresources and therefore depend on effectiveinternational water management.World Bank integrating environmentalmanagement and hazard reductionThe Dominican Republic - National Environmental PolicyReform. While not explicitly addressing natural hazard vulnerability,the project perfectly matches hazard mitigationconcerns as its objectives include curbing deforestation anddegradation of watersheds and coastal zones. Its developmentobjective is to establish the basis for improved environmentalmanagement by defining environmental policyreforms and elaborating a national environmental managementprogramme.St. Lucia - Integrated Watershed Management Project.The project was initiated in 1994 in response to damagesresulting from floods and landslides related to tropicalstorm Debbie. Apart from structural rehabilitation, it alsosupported the formulation of a Watershed ManagementPlan, which would serve as the basis for more integratedand sustainable development of key watersheds andstrengthen the Government’s capacity in environmentalmanagement and flood preparedness.Similarly, policies promoting sustainable managementof fuel wood and development ofalternative sources of energy will reduce deforestationand contribute to flood, avalanche andlandslide control. Programmes undertaken as aresult of commitments under the biodiversity,climate change and desertification conventionswill also reduce vulnerability throughenhanced natural resource management. Therelationships between market prices, trade policiesand environment are complex and sensitive.Trade policies based on sound environ-2115