This 2009 edition of the World Disasters Report focuses on disaster risk reduction. It argues that early warning without early action is not enough and calls for cost-effective prevention measures, rather than the expensive response operations.
The world is running up huge ecological debts, just as it has run up huge financial debts. Neither is sustainable. Leaders cannot successfully put capitalism back together again without at the same time fixing the greatest single consequence of unsustainability
The report, Resilience Assessment of Coral Reefs - Rapid assessment protocol for coral reefs, focusing on coral bleaching and thermal stress, shows that the amount of damage done to corals depends not only on the rate and extent of climate change, but also on the ability of coral reefs to cope with change.
The Dhamra Port project in Orissa has attracted considerable attention due to its proximity to vulnerable Olive Ridley turtle nesting grounds. The question is - can large infrastructure projects like this be environmentally sustainable? In a breakthrough workshop held by IUCN, developers and environmentalists have joined together to tackle this complex and controversial issue.
Biodiversity within inland water ecosystems in southern Africa is both highly diverse and of great regional importance to livelihoods and economies. However, development activities are not always compatible with the conservation of this diversity and it is poorly represented within the development planning process.
Effective water governance capacity is the foundation of efficient management of water resources. Water governance reform processes must work towards building capacity in a cohesive and articulated approach that links national policies, laws and institutions, within an enabling environment that allows for their implementation.
