Applications of Statistical and Geoscientific Techniques in the Management of Extreme Events, Natural Disasters, and Human Use of Natural Resources

Dear Colleagues,

Although natural hazards and extreme events are becoming more frequent worldwide, and natural resources are continuing to decrease everywhere, developing countries have tended to be disproportionately affected. These challenges need to be confronted and addressed. Although the magnitude and frequency of these eventualities and impacts of persistent depletion of the natural resources at our disposal are increasing, research continues to trivialize the formulation of techniques that can be used for their cost-effective and timely avoidance, mitigation, and management. The agents accelerating their occurrence have been researched by many, but little continues to be done to find ways for society to adapt to the adverse impacts of these events and the diminishing life supporting potentials of the environment. Recent examples of extreme events and natural disasters include the April 2022 floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, which displaced ~40,000 people and killed more than 400; Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe (March 2019), which affected ~270,000 people and left more than 340 people dead and others missing; and the October–December 2020, March–May 2021, October–December 2021, and March–May 2022 droughts in the Horn of Africa which affected and continue to affect millions of people.  Global and regional scale examples of similar catastrophes that are difficult to forecast, adapt to, and manage are many. These unwelcome eventualities require the scientific community to innovatively provide actionable interventions.

Similar challenges confront the meaningful realization of sustainable human resource use practices.  Examples of these threats and stressors include 1) water pollution, 2) the contamination of soils by toxic agricultural inputs and industrial effluence, 3) loss of biodiversity, 4) overexploitation and simultaneous occurrence of overgrazing, bush encroachment, deforestation, 5) accelerating loss of biodiversity, 6) increasing food insecurity, and many more. Confronting these externalities requires us to adopt investigative techniques that enhance the sustainability of a habitable planet, and the time to act is now. Unfortunately, however, the challenges we are facing only become pressing concerns that attract transient responses when they occur. This reaction syndrome needs to be addressed by focusing on mitigation, preparation, and the application of established and groundbreaking techniques in enhancing responsible stewardship of the limited resources at our disposal.  

The aim of this Special Issue is to demonstrate how this can accomplished by showing how statistical and geoscientific techniques can be used in the management of extreme events and natural disasters and human use of natural resources in developing countries. It is open for the publication of original articles that address the following and other related topics and themes:

• Techniques that can be used to:
• Address the limitations associated with the lack of accurate and usable spatial data;
• Forecast the occurrence of extreme events and natural disasters;
• Case studies that demonstrate how different techniques can be used to:
• Make effective use of freely accessible data;
• Rapidly assess the impacts of natural disasters and extreme events and trends;
• Enhance preparedness for and prevention of natural disasters and extreme events;
• Mitigate their adverse effects when they occur;
• Develop cost-effective warning systems;
• Cost-effectively identify hot-spot areas;
• Monitor and assess the status of terrestrial and marine resources that include but are not limited to water, forests, woodlands, grazing land, soils, fisheries, biodiversity, etc.

Review papers are also welcome. 

Prof. Dr. Hamisai Hamandawana
Dr. George Johannes Chirima
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Mathematics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• natural disasters
• extreme events
• natural resources monitoring and management