"reconstruction
must not be at the expense of transformation"
Workshop on Ecological
and Social Vulnerability
Summary of Major Themes
Stockholm, Sweden 25-28 May 1999
A workshop on ecological and social vulnerability took place
on May 25, 1999, chaired by Enrique V. Iglesias, President of the Inter-American
Development Bank, and involved the presentation of five prepared papers and formal
comments from six specialists. The papers and comments focused on conceptual and
operational aspects of ecological and social vulnerability in Central America, as well as
a review of approaches to reduce that vulnerability. The workshop also involved open
questions and comments from the audience. Following is a summary of the principal themes
discussed during the workshop.
- The underlying premise of the presentations and discussions
was that reducing ecological and social vulnerability to natural hazards is a core
development issue, and that without "transformation," vulnerability reduction
will not take place. Also stated without comment to the contrary is that the damage
caused by Hurricane Mitch reflects a failure of past development efforts to pay sufficient
attention to, and invest in, reducing vulnerability. Although Central America is a hazard-
prone region, hazards need not result in social or economic disasters. Investing in
prevention through vulnerability reduction is cost-effective.
- Vulnerability to natural hazards results from the interaction
of social, environmental and institutional factors. Measures to reduce
vulnerability need to address all three areas.
- Vulnerability reduction includes a regional dimension,
reflecting the fact that: (a) watersheds are shared between countries; (b) there are
opportunities to share information, expertise, and training; and (c) countries may work
together on joint agendas and action programs (e.g. Mesoamerican Biological Corridor).
- There is also an important local dimension. This includes: (a)
self-reliant actions to reduce vulnerability (e.g. local land-use planning, revegetation,
etc.); (b) early warning and response systems; (c) environmental education, including
vulnerability and risk factors and possible local prevention and response schemes.
These need to be supported by information presented in easily understood terms (e.g.
vulnerability maps) and by mechanisms to ensure wide public participation.
- Reducing urban and rural poverty is an essential part of a
viable strategy to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards. This includes the needs of
particularly vulnerable groups such as female-headed households, children, handicapped
persons, and poor minority and indigenous groups, and the elderly.
- Small farmers must be part of the solution in rural areas. Two
important aspects are improved agricultural practices, especially on steep slopes and near
water courses, and land tenure security which encourages long-term sustainable
investments.
- Recognizing the value of environmental services, mechanisms
need to be found to compensate upland farmers for protecting water resource use
downstream. Such compensation could be part of broader mechanisms dealing with other types
of resource use, ecosystem degradation, and market-based compensation (including for
global environmental services such as carbon sequestration and biodiverstiy preservation).
- All parts of a watershed are inextricably linked (upper,
middle, and lower), with vulnerability in one area affecting the infrastructure in other
areas. Therefore, infrastructure investments should include environmental management
measures (including upstream watershed management) to protect the investments.
- The primary responsibility for vulnerability reduction lies
with the sectoral institutions and local communities who own the infrastructure or provide
the services. They need strengthening at all levels in order to carry out their
responsibilities effectively, and their actions need to be complemented and supported by
those of specialized entities (such as environmental management, poverty reduction, and
civil defense agencies). Public sector investments or insurance may be needed as
incentives for vulnerability reduction of production and service sectors.
- There are several environmental management tools that are also
important for reducing vulnerability. These include: (a) land-use planning (in urban and
rural areas) through practical measures and a supportive policy framework; (b)
environmental impact and risk assessment of development projects; (c) environmental and
risk management education, information and training; (d) mechanisms to assess trade-offs
and resolve conflicts over land-use and other decisions; and (e) systematic monitoring and
periodic public reporting.
Papers Presented in the Workshop (in
order of presentation)
"Social and
Ecological Vulnerability," prepared by Miguel Gutierrez-Saxe (Proyecto Estado de
la Nacion/Region), Ana Jimena. Vargas-Cullell, Rolain Borel, Luis Rulando Duran
(CEPREDENAC), Serio Mora, Jorge Rodriguez (UNDP), and Herman Rosa (PRISMA) under the
sponsorship of the Swedish Government.
"Reducing Vulnerability
to Natural Hazards: Environmental Management," prepared by Alberto Uribe, Shigeo
Sakai, Javier Cuervo, Henrik Franklin, and Pascal Girot as a discussion paper for the
InterAmerican Development Bank. (spanish)
"Watershed
Management for Hurricane Reconstruction and Natural Disaster Vulnerability Reduction,"
U.S. Agency for International Development.
"Cooperacion
Regional para Reducir la Vulnerabilidad Ambiental y Promover el Desarrollo Sostenible en
Centroamerica, DGMA/SICA-CCAD with support from UNDP, UNEP, CEPAL and the World Bank
"Reducing Social
Vulnerability in Central America," Anne Deruyttere, Tomas Engler, Beatriz
Harretche, Andres Medici, and Isabel Nieves as a discussion paper for the InterAmerican
Development Bank.
"Hurricane Mitch:
Women's Needs and Contributions," Mayra Buvinic, Gabriela Vega, Mauricio
Bertrand, Anne-Marie Urban, Rebeca Grynspan, and Ginya Truitt as a discussion paper for
the InterAmerican Development Bank.
Panelists
Enrique V. Iglesias (Chairman), IDB
Stephen Bender (Rapporteur), OAS
Marco Alcizar, Government of Mexico
Alicia Bdrcena, UNDP
Mayra Buvinic, IDB
Romulo Caballero, CEPAL
Mauricio Castro Salazar, SICA-CCAD
Patrick Dumazert, CRIES
Luis Rolando Durin, CEPREDENAC
Per Engebek, UNICEF
Mayra Falck, Escuela Zamorano
Miguel Gutierrez-Saxe, Proyecto Estado de la Nacion/Region
Beatriz Harretche, IDB
Robert Kaplan, IDB
Timothy Mahoney, USAID
Arsenio Rodriguez, World Bank
Herman Rosa, PRISMA
For more information on the workshop, contact
Mr. Robert Kaplan (bobk@iadb.org)
Inter-American Development Bank
(202) 623-1749 |
