Disaster risk management
Mountains are hazardous places. Many mountain communities live under the threat of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions caused by shifting tectonic plates. Gravity pushing down on sloping land compounds the destructive power of storms and heavy rains, producing avalanches, landslides and floods. Population growth, climate change and unsustainable natural resource management practices are putting dangerous pressure on the mountain ecosystems and making mountain communities increasingly vulnerable to disasters.
Women, children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to disasters. And in many mountain areas, it is these members of the community that are looking after mountain homesteads, as the men move to lowland cities or abroad to earn a better income and support their family through remittances.
Forces from outside mountain communities, such as commercial logging interests and market-driven agricultural production, also put pressure on mountain ecosystems. All of this can lead to deforestation and environmental degradation. The loss of forest cover deprives mountain communities of a protective barrier against landslides and avalanches and further contributes to increased soil erosion and water run off.
To reduce the risks of disasters in mountain areas it is urgent to increase awareness and to develop integrated strategies and policies on disaster risk management at the national level. Policy-makers involved with disaster risk management cannot afford to neglect mountains, considering the high number of natural hazards in mountain areas and the high vulnerability of mountain communities.
World Mountain Forum 2018eventUnder the theme “Mountains in a changing world: strengthening partnership and pathways towards a thriving mountain future”, the fourth World Mountain Forum will be held on 23–26 October 2018, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, hosted by the Government of Kyrgyzstan with support from the Government of Switzerland, the...
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Global mountain safeguard: emerging risks and future challenges for mountain regions worldwideeventEurac Research and the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security, through their new joint programme “Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS)”, are organizing an United Nations international workshop to enhance disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and emergency response preparedness in mountain regions worldwide....
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International Conference on Natural Hazards and Disaster ManagementeventThe second International Conference on Natural Hazards and Disaster Management will be held under the theme “Significance of Early Warning Systems and Risk Management Strategies”. The two-day conference will consist of a scientific programme, comprehensive talks, special sessions, oral and poster presentations of peer-reviewed papers, and innovative research products from...
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MP Steering Committee meets in Romepeak to peakIssue 115 – Month 5 – Year 2018 The May 2018 issue of Peak to Peak provides a brief overview of the Mountain Partnership Steering Committee meeting held in Rome, Italy, on 23–24 April. The newsletter continues with stories about the 2018 International Mountain Day theme; the baseline data... Download » |
CEE Himalaya trains teachers on DRRnewsThroughout April 2018, the Centre for Environment Education (CEE Himalaya) and RCE Srinagar, with financial support from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Give2Asia, organized four teacher training workshops (TTW) on disaster risk reduction (DRR) preparedness for the teachers of the Jarwal Block,...
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Call for participation, IPCC special reportpeak to peakIssue 114 – Month 4 – Year 2018 The April issue of Peak to Peak opens with a call to contribute literature on mountains for possible inclusion in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. The newsletter continues... Download » |
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