The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for effective management of the natural environment to strengthen the resilience of communities to cope with disasters on the occasion of the third session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva.
9 May 2011: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has called for effective management of the natural environment to strengthen the resilience of communities to cope with disasters, on the occasion of the third session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Geneva, Switzerland, convening from 8-13 May 2011.
Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director General, highlighted the need to ensure that effective environmental assessments take place during and after disasters. She also noted that declining ecosystems are the main drivers of global risk of disasters, and that disaster risk management should look more closely at the relationship between nature and disasters. Edmund Barrow, Head of IUCN’s Ecosystem Management Programme, said conserving and reinforcing natural resources should be a priority for sustainable recovery strategies, as healthy natural environments can provide buffers to extreme events and support more resilient livelihoods.
According to Radhika Murti, also of IUCN’s Ecosystem Management Programme, investments in preventive measures, including maintaining healthy ecosystems, are seven times more cost-effective than the costs incurred by disasters. [IUCN News]