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WCC 2012 Res 113 - Activity Report

Submitted by lehmanne on Mon, 02/18/2019 - 14:17
General Information
Management of secondary environmental damage from natural disasters
IUCN Constituent: 
Headquarters
IUCN Constituent type: 
IUCN Secretariat
Period covered: 
2019
Geographic scope: 
Global
In implementing this Resolution your organization has worked/consulted with...
IUCN Secretariat: 
Yes
Other non-IUCN related organisations: 
OCHA, UNEP, USAID, UNHCR, IFRC, ICRC, WFP, etc.
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Education/Communication/Raising awarenessThough 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.On-going
Please report on the result /achievement of the actions taken: 
- Participation in interagency dialogs (USAID, OCHA, UNEP, WFP, ICRC, IFRC) in the framework of the Environment and Humanitarian Action (EHA) initiative to mainstream environmental activities in humanitarian actions.
- Communications on Ecosystem-Disaster Risk Reduction (ECO-DRR) at the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) in Geneva (February 13-14 2019).
- Awareness on societal and environmental benefits from sound and sustainable management of ecosystems in disaster-prone areas is strengthened.
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Future ActionDescription
Other Projects and programmes around secondary damages might be a way to develop Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) portfolio. However, to date IUCN's secretariat is not involved in projects/programmes related to secondary damages.
Additional Information
External link(s): 
Red List of Ecosystems website
Rio Doce Panel
Environment and Humanitarian Action (EHA) initiative