Integrating landscape dimensions in disaster risk reduction: A cluster planning approach

Abstract

Appreciation of the interplay between societal development, the changes in ecosystemfunctioning and services, and the creation and transformation of disaster risk is fundamental for the identification of ecosystem-based interventions and options for disaster risk reduction. While the need to integrate ecosystem services and ecosystem management has received increased attention as pathways for reducing disaster risk, little attention has been given to the actual methods and approaches that can enable such integration in practice. This chapter proposes a cluster planning approach for disaster risk reduction planning, building on the understanding of the relationship between landscape-scale drivers of disaster risk and community vulnerability and capacity. Including a cluster scale approach in risk reduction planning, which comprises smaller landscape units of communities facing similar risks, helps bridge administrative and ecological boundaries for reaching effective risk reduction outcomes. In the Mahanadi Delta, a landscape exposed to multiple hazards, applying this approach has helped to delineate three clusters wherein distinct ecosystemsbased options for risk reduction can be applied. Embedding administrative planning units within ecological planning units has enabled a more realistic integration of ecosystem services in the context of disaster risk reduction. The cluster approach will be particularly useful for planners responsible for developing risk reduction plans across administrative and ecological boundaries.