Time to pass the baton : disaster risk reduction from the perspective of environmental management, land use management, finance and public investment

It presents existing research and techniques in the fields of Environmental Management, Land Use Management, Finance, and Public Investment to revolutionize the concept of DRR and to place it within the context of development. This document is a reflection of the community of practice" emerging around the concept of DRR. It serves as a forum for the sharing of knowledge and experiences amongst ten distinguished experts in each of the previously mentioned fields of development, highlighting how each of these specialties must be coordinated in order to move towards systematic and comprehensive DRR. The book is organized into five chapters. The first offers a strong theoretical contribution to the understanding of risk management as a concept, and a general overview of disaster risk management (DRM) as a field, particularly focusing on current trends. The second chapter addresses Environmental Management and its close relationship to DRM. The third discusses Land Use Management, providing a brief outline of the instruments and mechanisms for integrating it with DRM. The fourth chapter highlights one of the least represented phases in the DRM process, Risk Transfer and Finance, thoroughly explaining the different instruments and administrative mechanisms and the potential they possess to improve DRM policy. The following section outlines the practical experience of implementing a DRR strategy in Bogotá, Colombia, highlighting both physical as well as financial components of DRM. The final chapter consists of commentaries from renowned DRM, environmental management, and development scholars on the book in its entirety. This document specifically challenges the notion of the need for a specialized disaster community. Instead, it calls for an integrated approach to risk management that is multi-sectoral and participatory. While it is not possible to engage in effective DRR without incorporating ideas and tools from environmental management, land use management, finance, and public investment, the inverse is also true. Expected outcomes within these disciplines are inherently jeopardized when disaster risks are not understood and DRM is not factored into their planning and implementation processes. (FIU abstract)