WCC 2012 Res 113 - Activity Report

Though not specifically targeting secondary environmental damages, implementation of preventive measures and strengthening preparedness to natural disasters will ultimately contribute to prevent cascading effects. The following activities contribute to this objective:
- Mainstreaming environmental activities in Humanitarian response and preparedness to natural disasters.
Strengthening the linkages between the humanitarian and environmental actors is crucial to expand work and tools to address the whole disaster risk management cycle, from prevention and preparedness to mitigation, response and recovery. Fostering a “build back better” approach can potentially help preventing cascading effects and thus secondary damages. Since 2011, IUCN is involved in the Environment and Humanitarian Action (EHA) initiative led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) that promotes the integration of environmental issues into humanitarian action.
- Intervention in projects in ecosystems destroyed by natural disasters
IUCN intervenes in post disaster situations for ecosystem restoration. A sound example, is the 3-year project (2019-2022) planned in the British Virgin Islands following the devastating hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017). This project will execute a post hurricane ecosystem restoration and assessment plan in British Virgin Islands. In addition to disaster risk reduction, the Red List of Ecosystems assessment might help flagging situations that could lead to potential secondary damages.
- Building partnerships to strengthen prevention.
IUCN network offers a large expertise for early-stage hazard identification and development of preventive measures. In post disasters situations, creation of Independent Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel that provide technical guidance for restoration, such as for example in the Rio Doce watershed, contributes to prevent further catastrophic events.