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Sustainable Disaster Risk Management: Transformative and Resilient Practices—2nd Edition

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Hazards and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 7353

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Climate Action Coordinator, Department of Environmental Planning and Management, Moncton, NB E1C 1E8, Canada
Interests: sustainable flood risk management; climate change adaptation and disaster management; nature-based solutions for natural hazards; vulnerability and risk assessments
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Guest Editor
School of Climate Change and Adaptation, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada
Interests: regional climate modeling; climate downscaling; hydrological modeling and flooding risk analysis; energy systems modeling under climate change; climate change impact assessment and adaptation studies; GIS; spatial modeling and analysis; big data analysis and visualization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, many countries have experienced natural disasters due to unprecedented severe and frequent natural hazards such as floods, droughts, storms, cyclones, heatwaves, wildfires, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Climate change is further exacerbating extreme weather events, resulting in more severe impacts on social and ecological systems around the world, regardless of whether they affect developing or developed nations, rural or urban areas, traditional Indigenous communities or modern societies.

To tackle the impacts of natural disasters, disaster risk management remains a key development agenda in every country, and in international forums. Recent global development agendas such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs) focus on strengthening existing disaster risk management systems towards more sustainable and resilient systems. While various disaster risk management practices have been implemented around the world over the past several decades, evidence of sustainable best practices remains scarce. Traditional structural (e.g., levees, cyclone shelters, etc.) and non-structural (e.g., insurance, early warning, etc.) measures are still the most common disaster risk reduction strategies implemented by many countries; however, nature-based solutions are being introduced in some countries on an experimental basis. Though some proven and successful risk reduction measures have been widely implemented, there are many cases of malpractice, which has led to a worsening of the effects of disasters in the long-term (for example, the negative impacts of embankments on floodplain ecosystems). To overcome the current situation, the world needs a holistic transformation of disaster risk management practices that can ensure better protection and sustainable development of both communities and natural ecosystems.

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore different disaster risk management practices within the disaster management cycle (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery) that have transformed current management regimes and helped to develop resilient and sustainable socioecological systems in disaster-prone areas.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Sustainable disaster risk management concepts, frameworks, policies, and strategies;
  • Vulnerability and risk assessment of socioecological systems to natural hazards;
  • Transformative adaptation practices for disaster risk reduction;
  • Advances in early warning systems;
  • Evidence of maladaptation/malpractice in disaster management;
  • Resilient infrastructure for disaster risk reduction;
  • Nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction;
  • Climate change adaptation and disaster management;
  • Community resilience to natural disasters;
  • Disaster risk management and the Sustainable Development Goals;
  • Safe operating spaces in disaster-prone areas;
  • Advances in disaster response and recovery practices;
  • Other topics relevant to sustainable disaster risk management.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Aminur Shah
Dr. Xander Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Sustainability 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • vulnerability and risk assessment
  • transformative adaptation
  • nature-based solutions
  • community resilience
  • early warning systems
  • resilient infrastructure
  • maladaptation
  • disaster response and recovery
  • sustainable development

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 38767 KiB  
Article
Flood Susceptibility and Risk Mapping of Kathmandu Valley Watershed, Nepal
by Umesh Chaudhary, Mohammad Aminur Rahman Shah, Bijay Man Shakya and Anil Aryal
Sustainability 2024, 16(16), 7101; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167101 - 19 Aug 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4687
Abstract
Comprehensive flood risk assessment is often constrained by a lack of appropriate data in high-altitude watersheds, particularly in developing countries like Nepal, where institutional capacities are limited for mapping and monitoring flood-prone communities. This study, one of the first of its kind, produced [...] Read more.
Comprehensive flood risk assessment is often constrained by a lack of appropriate data in high-altitude watersheds, particularly in developing countries like Nepal, where institutional capacities are limited for mapping and monitoring flood-prone communities. This study, one of the first of its kind, produced spatial multi-criteria-based flood susceptibility, vulnerability, and risk index maps for the Kathmandu Valley (KV) watershed in Nepal using an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach and Geographical Information System (GIS). The result shows that most parts of the KV (around 80%) have moderate to low flood susceptibility around the watershed but susceptibility is prominent in southern areas. Highly flood-susceptible regions (about 14%) are found mainly along the riverbanks. Flood vulnerability, primarily influenced by population density and literacy rate, is moderate to low in most areas of the watershed (around 86%), predominantly higher in the central urban areas, and gradually lower towards the edge of the watershed. Flood risks in the major portion of the watershed (around 72%), mainly in the southern and eastern parts, are estimated as moderate to low risk, whereas higher risk zones are found in the central urban areas. The high contrast in flood vulnerability scores across the watershed has mainly contributed to the variation of flood risk zones, as flood susceptibility scores are fairly distributed over the watershed. The study findings will help policymakers develop location-specific sustainable flood risk management strategies for the flood-vulnerable communities in the KV watershed. Full article
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22 pages, 16707 KiB  
Article
Land Cover and Socioeconomic Analysis for Recommended Flood Risk Reduction Strategies in Java Island, Indonesia
by Adityawan Sigit and Morihiro Harada
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6475; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156475 - 29 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2024
Abstract
This study utilizes a novel approach by analyzing land use and socioeconomic factors to enhance flood risk reduction strategies on Java Island, Indonesia. Using datasets from inaRISK hazard profiles, GlobCover land cover data, and Indonesian national statistics, the research offers a methodology for [...] Read more.
This study utilizes a novel approach by analyzing land use and socioeconomic factors to enhance flood risk reduction strategies on Java Island, Indonesia. Using datasets from inaRISK hazard profiles, GlobCover land cover data, and Indonesian national statistics, the research offers a methodology for mitigating flood risks in diverse geographic and socioeconomic landscapes. The study found flood exposure rates ranging from 1.1% to 63%, averaging 26.5% across 114 districts, and revealed a correlation between high flood exposure and socioeconomic indicators. Cluster analysis identified four types of regions with unique flood risk management needs. Socioeconomic analysis showed significant income and education level variations across clusters, with urban areas having a higher Gross Regional Domestic Product and better education levels than rural areas. This socioeconomic divide is crucial for understanding different regions’ capacities to respond to and recover from floods. Integrating socioeconomic factors with land use and flood exposure data allows for tailored disaster risk reduction strategies. For high-risk urban areas, structural interventions and community-focused initiatives are recommended, while rural areas benefit from sustainable land management practices. This study highlights the need for a combined approach to flood risk management and strategies, and provides a model adaptable to similar regions. Full article
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