Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

In the rural Tropics, the participatory risk assessment, based on local knowledge only, is very widespread. This practice is appropriate for hazard identification and for raising the awareness of local communities in relation to the importance of risk reduction, but it is still imprecise in determining risk level, ranking and treatment in a context of climate change, activities in which technical knowledge is unavoidable. Integration of local and technical-scientific knowledge within the framework of an encoded risk assessment method (ISO 31010), could favour more effective decision making with regard to risk reduction. The aim of this chapter is to verify the applicability of a multi-risk local assessment-MLA which combines local knowledge (participatory workshop, transect walk, hazard and resource mapping, disaster historical profile) and scientific knowledge (climate downscaling modelling, hazard probability and scenarios, potential damages, residual risk). The test is carried out in two villages of the Western Niger, particularly exposed to flooding and agricultural drought. The risk (hazard probability * potential damages) is identified, analysed (level of risk) and evaluated (residual risk, adaptation measures compared with potential damage costs). The MLA is feasible. The two villages, while bordering on one another, have a different risk ranking. Depending on the village, the risk treatment could reduce the risk level to 17 and to 41% of the current risk, with costs equating to 34 and 28% of the respective potential damages.

Flood events are increasing year by year in the Sahel, mainly caused by climate and land use changes. New strategies and tools are necessary to optimize flooding risk reduction plans. This paper presents a new hydrological method (FREM, Flooding Risk Evaluation Method), based on the curve number runoff estimation. The method can be adopted for small-medium basins and is based on the integration of remote sensing techniques with field surveys and participatory mapping. It consists of preliminary identification of the areas and sub-basins that most contribute to the flood risk; scenarios can then be developed in order to: (i) optimize the placement of traditional water retention structures in the elementary sub-basins that contribute most to the overall risk, (ii) assess the contribution of each hydraulic structure to reduce the total risk, (iii) give a priority ranking to these structures identifying those most urgent. The main advantages of this method are that it is easy to use and can be implemented using free available land cover, soil and morphology data and open-source GIS (Geographic Information System) software. A case study for the Ouro Gueladjo basin (Tillabery Region, Niger) is presented.

In recent years there has been growing recognition that people’s vulnerability is not just as an outcome of possible climate impacts, but rather a dynamic contextual characteristic of a socio-ecological system. Accordingly, along with the acknowledgement of the close connection between climate change adaptation and sustainable development, the scientific debate on adaptation has increasingly focused on the issue of transformation of current systems in response to a changing environment. The need for transformational adaptation, especially in high vulnerability contexts, induces planners to broaden and diversify both knowledge and methods to deal with the growing uncertainty and complexity of socio-ecological systems. By focusing on future studies, this chapter aims to explore the transformational knowledge contribution of forecasting and participatory backcasting methods in assessing people’s vulnerability using the case study of coastal Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). Participatory backcasting helps understanding contextual vulnerability and community aspirations, and defining shared adaptation goals and action. Conversely, forecasting proves to be fundamental for the identification of boundary conditions and system thresholds relevant to a specific problem, thus providing knowledge that is valuable for integrating global and local perspectives.

This chapter proposes a methodology to delineate strategic priorities and identify specific locations for disaster risk management tactics that integrate a geospatial approach with qualitative and quantitative analysis. This methodology was applied to a case study developed in the mid-sized city of La Paz, capital of Baja California Sur, Mexico and serves as an example of an integrative mainstreaming disaster risk management approach. The mainstreaming process was developed in four distinct phases (technical, institutional, social and financial) that engage a diverse range of stakeholders, representing a broad range of professional knowledge and experience. This study presents the first spatial resilience evaluation in Mexico and details how a mainstreaming approach can be integrated with technocratic methods to better dimension risk and provide decision makers with a versatile and effective multifaceted tool tailored to local needs.

One of the main causes of deforestation in Africa is the cutting of trees for cooking purposes. Even though gas and other fuels are available, in theory, their diffusion is slower than the increase of the population that continues to use wood as a fuel. The trends for the near future show that, in many areas, the forests will disappear and expose the soil to desertification. An intermediate solution to address the deforestation problem can be the use of other biomass sources, different from the traditional wood sticks, for cooking. In this paper, a system that uses agricultural residues and tree prunings, instead of wood, as a fuel, is introduced. The work done consisted in setting up a pellet making facility, and a gasifier stove. The results obtained by the pellet fuelled stove, show that its efficiency is higher than that of the improved cook stoves that use wood, and that, in addition, the stove does not produce smoke during normal cooking operation, making its use safer for the operators and other persons close to the fire.

Agricultural risk management involves a portfolio of strategies that can, to different extents, prevent, reduce, and/or properly transfer the impact of a shock. Adaptation, mitigation and coping strategies provide a range of complementary approaches for managing risks resulting from adverse weather events. This paper discusses how the issue of adverse weather events is a challenge for agriculture, and offers an overview of climate risk management strategies and an in-depth examination of one of the most tested risk transfer tools—index-based insurance. It describes the development of the insurance market in Africa, and analyses the major challenges and contributions made by weather index-based insurance.

Adaptation projects may be difficult to prioritize and finance, as the results of projects are difficult to quantifiably measure and compare across project types, and no singular “unit” for adaptation outcomes exists. The Higher Ground Foundation is developing the Vulnerability Reduction Credit (VRC™), which incorporates cost/benefit analysis and per capita vulnerability equalization tools to measure the outputs of climate adaptation projects. The VRC quantifies in a singular unit measures to reduce vulnerability to climate change. This chapter summarizes the structure and utility of VRCs and shows through a case study from Talle, Niger, how VRCs are created and integrated into Sahelian community adaptations to heterogeneous climate risks such as flooding and droughts. VRC analysis and crediting may serve as a monitoring and evaluation tool and as an instrument to help secure project finance while supporting sustained adaptation. The chapter further considers the potential benefits to governments, donors and economies. VRC financing has advantages over standard development assistance models, particularly for project risk management, project preparation, enhanced transparency of adaptation spend, and scaling of successful pilot projects throughout an economy.

In the Tropics, a significant increase in the number of cities provided with climate plans by 2020, as announced in the 11th Sustainable development goal of the United Nations, requires an unprecedented effort. To achieve it, we have to simplify the planning process and improve the quality of the plans. The aim of this book was to collect methods and experiences to inspire the simplification of the planning process and increase the quality of climate planning. We focused attention on the three critical phases of the planning process: analysis, decision making in planning, climate measures. Sixteen case studies from Ethiopia, Haiti, Malawi, Mexico, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania and Thailand cover automatic weather stations in remote areas, rainfall estimation gridded datasets, open data for vulnerability index to climate change, early warning systems, quality of climate plans index, multi-risk local assessment, flooding risk evaluation method, backcasting, spatial dimension in disaster risk reduction and resilience, gasification stoves, index-based insurance and vulnerability risk credit. After indicating the possible analyses, 19 recommendations were supplied to the United Nations SDGs monitoring system, the national weather services and those responsible for natural risks, to the Development banks, Official development aid and the research institutions.