Social vulnerability and the natural and built environment: a model of flood casualties in Texas

Studies on the impacts of hurricanes, tropical storms, and tornados indicate that poor communities of colour suffer disproportionately in human death and injury.(2) Few quantitative studies have been conducted on the degree to which flood events affect socially vulnerable populations. We address this research void by analysing 832 countywide flood events in Texas from 1997-2001. Specifically, we examine whether geographic localities characterised by high percentages of socially vulnerable populations experience significantly more casualties due to flood events, adjusting for characteristics of the natural and built environment. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression models indicate that the odds of a flood casualty increase with the level of precipitation on the day of a flood event, flood duration, property damage caused by the flood, population density, and the presence of socially vulnerable populations. Odds decrease with the number of dams, the level of precipitation on the day before a recorded flood event, and the extent to which localities have enacted flood mitigation strategies. The study concludes with comments on hazard-resilient communities and protection of casualty-prone populations.     

Are non‐poor households always less vulnerable? The case of households exposed to protracted civil war in Southern Sudan

Civil wars in Africa are now the leading contributory cause of vulnerability of rural communities. Understanding vulnerability during civil war is critical for humanitarian response and post-conflict rehabilitation planning. The lack of understanding of vulnerability has led existing studies to make sweeping generalizations, either by equating the dynamics of vulnerability during civil wars with vulnerability in other risk events, or by projecting people in the 'war zones' as unable to cope and subsequently becoming vulnerable. This paper is an attempt to gain a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of vulnerability during protracted civil war. It shows that during civil war the non-poor are not necessarily less vulnerable than poor households. The idea that people caught up in civil war are all vulnerable is not supported by the findings of this paper. It shows that the 'standard' pattern of vulnerability to drought is similar to that during exogenous counter-insurgency warfare, while a different pattern of vulnerability to endogenous shocks is identified.     

Agricultural productivity and environmental insecurity in the Usangu plain, Tanzania: policy implications for sustainability of agriculture

Sustainable agricultural development is a necessity for sustainable economic growth and social development in Africa. Sustainable agriculture largely depends on how effective natural and environmental resources are managed and utilized; it also depends on the security of continuous access to such resources. This research was aimed to look into trends in agricultural productivity, examine the persistence of the environmental insecurity, analyze the relationship between the two, and explore their links to the national development policies. The results are discussed in the context of relevance to national development policies and their implications on the sustainability of agriculture and rural livelihoods security. Literature survey, records collection from the stakeholders, village level participatory assessments (PAs), observations and questionnaire survey were tools used for data collection. The study shows significant (P < 0.01) declines in cereal crop yields, cattle milk yield and cattle calving rate, and increasing cattle mortality rate. Elements of environmental insecurity were found to account for decline in agricultural productivity; significant (P < 0.01) proportion (68%), of 266 households interviewed, reported land resources deterioration, declining soil fertility, and increasing drought frequencies as the causes of their low productivity. Declined fertilizer consumption and increasing variability in rainfall amount significantly (P < 0.01) accounted for 59% and 39%, respectively, of the variations observed in total annual production of rice and maize, which are major cereals in the study area. This study recommends measures to improve soil productivity such as improved fertilizer application and use of organic manures along with mineral fertilizers for maintaining soil productivity; education of farmers on sustainable use and management of land resources; and pro-poor rural policies in agricultural development and environmental governance. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Vulnerability and adaptation of European farmers: a multi-level analysis of yield and income responses to climate variability

Climate change will affect crop yields and consequently farmers’ income. The underlying relationships are not well understood, particularly the importance of crop management and related factors at the farm and regional level. We analyze the impacts of trends and variability in climatic conditions from 1990 to 2003 on trends and variability in yields of five crops and farmers’ income at farm type and regional level in Europe considering farm characteristics and other factors. While Mediterranean regions are often characterized as most vulnerable to climate change, our data suggest effective adaptation to variable and changing conditions in these regions largely attributable to the characteristic farm types in these regions. We conclude that for projections of climate change impacts on agriculture, farm characteristics influencing management and adaptation should be considered, as they largely influence the potential impacts.     

The politics of risk in the Philippines: comparing state and NGO perceptions of disaster management

It is now generally appreciated that what constitutes vulnerability to one person is not necessarily perceived as such by the next. Different actors 'see' disasters as different types of events and as a result they prepare for, manage and record them in very different ways. This paper explores what different perceptions of vulnerability mean in terms of the understanding and practices of two significant sets of actors and stakeholders involved in disaster preparedness and management in the Philippines: the state and NGOs. Approaches to disaster are not just a function of people's perceptions of disaster risk but also of their understanding of the prevailing social order and social relations. Despite a shared vocabulary—which increasingly presents disasters as processes rather than events, takes a proactive rather than a reactive approach, and favours the inclusion of stakeholders rather than solely relying on technocratic management—different realities continue to make for different responses.     

GIS and local knowledge in disaster management: a case study of flood risk mapping in Viet Nam

Linking community knowledge with modern techniques to record and analyse risk related data is one way of engaging and mobilising community capacity. This paper discusses the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS) at the local level and the need for integrating modern technology and indigenous knowledge into disaster management. It suggests a way to mobilise available human and technical resources in order to strengthen a good partnership between local communities and local and national institutions. The paper also analyses the current vulnerability of two communes by correlating hazard risk and loss/damage caused by disasters and the contribution that domestic risk maps in the community can make to reduce this risk. The disadvantages, advantages and lessons learned from the GIS flood risk mapping project are presented through the case study of the Quang Tho Commune in Thua Thien Hue province, central Viet Nam.     

水资源利用系统脆弱性机理分析与评价方法研究

水资源系统脆弱性是当前水问题研究的热点问题,在综合脆弱性和脆弱性分层面两方面需深入研究。论文通过对水资源利用系统脆弱性形成过程的分析,从水资源自然禀赋、水资源开发利用程度和用水效率等方面,构建符合过程机理的水资源利用系统脆弱性模型,旨在对脆弱性分层面进行深入研究。针对当联系分量系数取值具有峰值较宽的分布特征时,可能导致基于三角模糊数的联系数存在较大误差的问题,进一步分析差异度系数取值的特征,以标准阈值为参数构造差异度系数的梯形模糊数,提出基于梯形模糊数联系数的评价方法,并应用于安徽省水资源利用系统脆弱性评价。应用结果表明,2001—2014年安徽省水资源利用系统脆弱性等级在3.611～2.493之间呈波动变化,2014年水资源利用系统脆弱性为轻脆弱,较2001年中度脆弱有明显改善;该方法避免了联系分量系数取值具有峰值较宽的分布特征时可能存在较大误差,能更准确地反映水资源利用系统脆弱性客观实际状况。     

Groundwater risk assessment at a heavily industrialised catchment and the associated impacts on a peri-urban wetland

Industrial and agricultural activities often impose significant pressures to the groundwater quality and consequently degrade wetland ecosystems that depend mostly on subsurface water flow. Groundwater vulnerability and risk mapping is a widely used approach to assess the natural protection of aquifers and the associated pollution potential from human activities. In the particular study, the relatively new Pan-European methodology (COP method) has been applied in a highly industrialized peri-urban wetland catchment, located close to Athens city, to map the intrinsic vulnerability of the aquifer and evaluate the risk potential originating from local land uses. Groundwater analysis results for various parameters, including Phenols, PCBs and nutrients, have been used to validate the vulnerability and risk estimations while a biological assessment occurred to associate the mapping results with the wetland's ecological status. The results indicated that even though the natural protection of the aquifer is relatively high due to the dominant hydrogeologic and geomorphologic conditions, the groundwater pollution risk is considerable, mainly because of the existing hazardous land uses. The water quality of the groundwater accredited these findings and the ecological status of this peri-urban wetland also indicated significant impacts from industrial effluents.     

黄土高原地区生态脆弱性时空变化及其驱动因子分析

黄土高原是我国生态系统最脆弱的地区之一,科学评估其生态脆弱性是制定有效环境保护和管理措施的前提.然而,过去研究多关注某一小区域的生态脆弱性,不能反映该地区生态脆弱性的整体特征.基于"暴露-敏感性-适应力"模型框架,结合层次分析、空间主成分分析和地理探测器等方法评估了黄土高原地区2000~2015年生态脆弱性的时空变化特征及其驱动因子.结果表明,黄土高原地区生态脆弱性整体较高,并呈现出从东南到西北递增的趋势,且不同土地利用类型脆弱性差异大;2000~2015年生态脆弱性呈先增后降趋势,整体呈微弱降低趋势,其中约64%地区的脆弱性发生了变化;植被覆盖度和降水是控制生态脆弱性时空变化的主要因子,且所有指标因子间均存在明显的交互作用.说明气候变化和人类活动可能有助于降低黄土高原地区的生态脆弱性,但其作用有限.     

农业旱灾承灾体脆弱性评价--以湖南鼎城区为例

农业旱灾的形成是降水不足、不均与农业生产系统脆弱性共同作用的结果,脆弱性的高低会起到"放大"或"缩小"灾情的作用.本文以湖南鼎城区为例,通过分析该区旱灾致灾因子的特点,确定旱年年型的划分标准及对气象资料进行统计,发现该区干旱的季节性特点是秋旱比夏旱多、比夏旱严重.在此基础上,分析轻旱、中重旱、极重旱不同干旱程度下灾情形成过程及其与承灾体脆弱性的关系,构建了不同的脆弱性评价指标体系,并以不同干旱程度的旱年为实例进行评价.结果表明鼎城区承灾体脆弱性的分布有一定的区域性,其脆弱度高低排序为西北山岗地区、南部低山及丘陵区、中部平原及山岗地区、东北部河湖及平原区,与实际灾情的分布规律基本一致.通过分析不同干旱程度下各区脆弱度的形成和变化原因,提出了具有针对性的降低农业旱灾脆弱性的具体措施.