Connecting Global Priorities Biodiversity and Human Health

interest in ecosystem-based approaches to DRR
and plan to further integrate these into their
core activities in recognition of the “increasing
importance of ecosystem management in adapting
and responding to climate change impacts and
associated disaster risks” (UNEP 2009; World
Bank 2009).
In the international policy arena, the Hyogo
Framework for Action (HFA) (2005–2015) also
acknowledges the role of healthy ecosystems
and sustainable environmental management in
reducing disaster risks. Under its fourth Priority
for Action – “reduce the underlying risk factors”
– activities include the “appropriate management
of fragile ecosystems” and “the sustainable use
and management of ecosystems... to reduce risks
and vulnerabilities”. Unfortunately, efforts at
ecosystem management for DRR have been largely
made on an ad-hoc basis, and a mid-term review of
the HFA determined that Priority Four has made
the least progress of the five Priorities for Action
(UNEP 2009b; van Eeden 2013; PEDRR 2013).
This is illustrative of a general difficulty
encountered in the context of disaster
management strategies, whereby there is often a
disconnect between the intentions of government
authorities, humanitarian and relief organizations,
donors and civil society, and the emergence of
practical and appropriate interventions in the
field. Opportunities to adopt ecosystem-based
adaptation (EbA) measures have not been taken
and laudable de jure proclamations extolling the
benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services for
sustainable DRR have not been translated into de
facto actions, with concomitant implications for
human security. EbA strategies that have been
implemented have often been prone to failure, due
typically to an absence of local participation, various
financial and technical impediments, and the
recurrent underutilization of scientific knowledge
(Quarto 2012; Kathiresan 2008). Notwithstanding
these challenges, a number of successful EbA DRR
experiences in recent years attest to the potential of
this approach to contribute to disaster prevention
and mitigation, helping to build the resistance and
resilience of human systems to existing, emerging
and evolving risks.
2.1 Disaster prevention: the role of
biodiversity in reducing the likelihood
of disaster events
Disaster prevention expresses the concept of and
intention to completely avoid potential adverse
impacts through action taken in advance (UNISDR
2009). It is closely related to the concept of disaster
resistance, which suggests the ability of a system to
evade the onset of a disaster and its impacts, and
to continue to function at close to normal capacity
and capability.
Prevention has only recently become a permanent
feature of modern disaster management
frameworks – accompanying a general shift from
reactive to proactive disaster responses. Examples
include the construction of dams or embankments
that reduce flood risks, and land-use regulations
that prohibit settlement in high-risk zones. In
terms of EbA for disaster prevention, ecosystems
can also deliver benefits. For example, properly
sited wetlands can reduce flood risks through
water flow regulation, while certain mixtures of
vegetation cover can – according to the specific site
location and characteristics – help act as a form of
ecological engineering, stabilizing steep slopes and
preventing or reducing the scale of avalanches, soil
erosion and gulley formation.
Although preventive measures are designed to
provide permanent protection from disasters,
it must be recognized that not all disasters can
be prevented and, in many cases, their complete
circumvention is unavoidable. Obviously, where a
disaster may not always be prevented then once
it occurs its impacts need to be mitigated. In
the event of a tsunami or volcanic eruption, for
example, disaster risk should be mitigated to the
greatest extent possible.
2.2 Disaster mitigation: the role of
biodiversity during a disaster event
“Mitigation” describes the alleviation or limitation
of the adverse impacts of disasters. These impacts
often cannot be prevented fully, but their scale or
severity can be substantially lessened by various
strategies and actions (UNISDR 2009).
242 Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health