Tipping Points in Natural Hazard Risk Management: How Societal Transformation can Provoke Policy Strategies in Mitigation

In this paper, we show how the concept of tipping points can be interpreted by using the example of natural hazard management. Until now, despite the increasing amount of papers on tipping points in the assessment of geomorphologic hazards and the associated dynamics of research on climate change, there has been little empirical or theoretical engagement with tipping points in risk management and in the adaptive capacity of individual actors or social systems. By bridging this gap, we focus on adaptation initiatives to mountain hazard management and on the question of how these initiatives were triggered using three different study sites in Austria. Necessary system changes root in different nutshells, such as lack of funding, lack of legal incentives to include local interests or lack of space, where classical structural protection schemes cannot respond to the emerging challenges of system dynamics. This paper used a mixed-method approach, including semi-structured in-depth interviews, scenario constructions and policy analysis to assess the potential tipping points in the implementation of innovative systems to manage mountain hazards. The results showed that vital variables influencing the development of new management measures are (1) the current legislation, (2) risk acceptance among authorities and the public, (3) land-use pressure, (4) the demand for innovative solutions, (5) the available technical standards and possibilities and (6) finally the policy entrepreneurship. Concluding the results, contemporary settings concerning risk management strategies will have to change in the future in order to inspire transformative governance arrangements in natural hazard management.

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An interactive web-GIS tool for risk analysis: a case study in the Fella River basin, Italy

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-16-85-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 85-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Z. C. Aye ◽

M. Jaboyedoff ◽

M. H. Derron ◽

C. J. van Westen ◽

H. Y. Hussin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Risk Analysis ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Web Gis ◽

Data Set ◽

Prototype Development ◽

Risk Management Strategies ◽

Northeastern Italy ◽

Study Sites

Abstract. This paper presents a prototype of an interactive web-GIS tool for risk analysis of natural hazards, in particular for floods and landslides, based on open-source geospatial software and technologies. The aim of the presented tool is to assist the experts (risk managers) in analysing the impacts and consequences of a certain hazard event in a considered region, providing an essential input to the decision-making process in the selection of risk management strategies by responsible authorities and decision makers. This tool is based on the Boundless (OpenGeo Suite) framework and its client-side environment for prototype development, and it is one of the main modules of a web-based collaborative decision support platform in risk management. Within this platform, the users can import necessary maps and information to analyse areas at risk. Based on provided information and parameters, loss scenarios (amount of damages and number of fatalities) of a hazard event are generated on the fly and visualized interactively within the web-GIS interface of the platform. The annualized risk is calculated based on the combination of resultant loss scenarios with different return periods of the hazard event. The application of this developed prototype is demonstrated using a regional data set from one of the case study sites, Fella River of northeastern Italy, of the Marie Curie ITN CHANGES project.

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Urban and Spatial Planning in Natural Hazard Risk Management

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780199389407.013.8 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Jörn Birkmann

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Urban Planning ◽

Middle Ages ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Natural Hazard ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Urban Land Use ◽

Forthcoming Article ◽

Risk Management Strategies

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science. Please check back later for the full article. Spatial and urban planning are acknowledged as important tools and processes that influence exposure to natural and technical hazards and risk accumulation, as well as risk and vulnerability reduction. Even though natural hazards (such as floods) and technical hazards have been discussed in spatial and urban planning for quite some time in various countries and regions, only in a very few cities and regions has there been a sufficient and systematic approach to establish risk management as part of the planning task within the field of spatial planning and urban land-use planning. Risk management strategies in spatial and urban planning have often been strengthened after major crises, such as severe fires in the middle ages in cities in Europe, or after major floods or hurricanes in North America, Asia, and Latin America, as well as Europe and Africa. In this context, risk management is understood as a cluster of concrete and practical strategies and actions on how to handle risks, and in terms of spatial and urban planning, including those risks that are of spatial importance or significant with regard to planning processes.

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An interactive web-GIS tool for risk analysis: a case study in the Fella River Basin, Italy

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/nhessd-3-4007-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (6) ◽

pp. 4007-4057 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Z. C. Aye ◽

M. Jaboyedoff ◽

M. H. Derron ◽

C. J. van Westen ◽

H. Y. Hussin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Risk Analysis ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Web Gis ◽

Data Set ◽

Prototype Development ◽

Risk Management Strategies ◽

Study Sites ◽

Risk Managers

Abstract. This paper presents a prototype of an interactive web-GIS tool for risk analysis of natural hazards, in particular for floods and landslides, based on open-source geospatial software and technologies. The aim of the presented tool is to assist the experts (risk managers) in analysing the impacts and consequences of a certain hazard event in a considered region, providing an essential input to the decision making process in the selection of risk management strategies by responsible authorities and decision makers. This tool is based on the Boundless (OpenGeo Suite) framework and its client side environment for prototype development, and it is one of the main modules of a web-based collaborative decision support platform in risk management. Within this platform, the users can import necessary maps and information to analyse areas at risk. Based on provided information and parameters, loss scenarios (amount of damages and number of fatalities) of a hazard event are generated on-the-fly and visualized interactively within the web-GIS interface of the platform. The annualized risk is calculated based on the combination of resultant loss scenarios with different return periods of the hazard event. The application of this developed prototype is demonstrated using a regional data set from one of the case study sites, Fella River of North Eastern Italy, of the Marie Curie ITN CHANGES project.

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Helping supervisees learn ethically based risk management strategies

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e500672008-001 ◽

2008 ◽

Author(s):

Samuel Knapp

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Risk Management Strategies

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The management of risk in a dryland environment

Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association ◽

10.33584/jnzg.2011.73.2835 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 13-21

Author(s):

D.I. Gray ◽

J.I. Reid ◽

D.J. Horne

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Service Providers ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Subterranean Clover ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Market Risk ◽

Farm Size ◽

Forage Crops ◽

Risk Management Strategies ◽

Upside Risk

A group of 24 Hawke's Bay hill country farmers are working with service providers to improve the resilience of their farming systems. An important step in the process was to undertake an inventory of their risk management strategies. Farmers were interviewed about their farming systems and risk management strategies and the data was analysed using descriptive statistics. There was considerable variation in the strategies adopted by the farmers to cope with a dryland environment. Importantly, these strategies had to cope with three types of drought and also upside risk (better than expected conditions), and so flexibility was critical. Infra-structure was important in managing a dryland environment. Farmers chose between increased scale (increasing farm size) and geographic dispersion (owning a second property in another location) through to intensification (investing in subdivision, drainage, capital fertiliser, new pasture species). The study identified that there may be scope for further investment in infra-structural elements such as drainage, deeper rooting alternative pasture species and water harvesting, along with improved management of subterranean clover to improve flexibility. Many of the farmers used forage crops and idling capacity (reduced stocking rate) to improve flexibility; others argued that maintaining pasture quality and managing upside risk was a better strategy in a dryland environment. Supplementary feed was an important strategy for some farmers, but its use was limited by contour and machinery constraints. A surprisingly large proportion of farmers run breeding cows, a policy that is much less flexible than trading stock. However, several farmers had improved their flexibility by running a high proportion of trading cattle and buffer mobs of ewe hoggets and trade lambs. To manage market risk, the majority of farmers are selling a large proportion of their lambs prime. Similarly, cattle are either sold prime or store onto the grass market when prices are at a premium. However, market risk associated with the purchase of supplements and grazing was poorly managed.

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The Effects of Decision Aid Orientation on Risk Factor Identification and Audit Test Planning

Auditing A Journal of Practice & Theory ◽

10.2308/aud.2002.21.2.39 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 39-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Jean C. Bedard ◽

Lynford E. Graham

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Risk Management ◽

Decision Aid ◽

Decision Aids ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Risk Identification ◽

Matched Pair ◽

Audit Planning ◽

Audit Firms ◽

Risk Management Strategies

In auditing, risk management involves identifying client facts or issues that may affect engagement risk, and planning evidence-gathering strategies accordingly. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether auditors' identification of risk factors and planning of audit tests is affected by decision aid orientation, i.e., a “negative” focus wherein client risk and its consequences are emphasized, or a “positive” focus where such factors are not emphasized. Specifically, we expect that auditors will identify more risk factors using a negatively oriented risk identification decision aid, but only when engagement risk is relatively high. We address this issue in the context of auditors' knowledge of actual clients, manipulating decision aid orientation as negative or positive in a matched-pair design. Results show that auditors using the negative decision aid orientation identify more risk factors than do those using a positive orientation, for their higher-risk clients. We also find that decisions to apply substantive tests are more directly linked to specific risk factors identified than to direct risk assessments. Further, our results show that auditors with repeat engagement experience with the client identify more risk factors. The findings of this study imply that audit firms may improve their risk management strategies through simple changes in the design of decision aids used to support audit planning.

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Evaluation of Physical Risk during Necropsy and Morgue Activities as Risk Management Strategy

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18168266 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (16) ◽

pp. 8266

Author(s):

Zoe Del Fante ◽

Nicola Di Fazio ◽

Adriano Papale ◽

Paola Tomao ◽

Fabio Del Duca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Risk Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Risk Management Strategy ◽

Work Related ◽

Activity Measurements ◽

Risk Management Strategies ◽

Physical Risk ◽

Critical Issues ◽

Load Handling

Physical risk assessments allow us to understand work-related critical issues, thus representing a useful tool in risk management strategies. In particular, our study focuses on the identification of already known and emerging physical risks related to necropsy and morgue activities, as well as crime scene investigations. The aim of our study is, therefore, to identify objective elements in order to quantify exposure to such risk factors among healthcare professionals and working personnel. For the research of potentially at-risk activities, data from the Morgue of Policlinico Umberto I Hospital in Rome were used. The scientific literature has been reviewed in order to assess the risks associated with morgue activity. Measurements were performed on previously scheduled days, in collaboration with the activities of different research units. The identified areas of risk were: microclimate; exposure to noise and vibrations; postural and biomechanical aspects of necropsy activities. The obtained results make it possible to detect interindividual variability in exposure to many of the aforementioned risk factors. In particular, the assessment of microclimate did not show significant results. On the contrary, exposure to vibrations and biomechanical aspects of load handling have shown potential risk profiles. For this reason, both profiles have been identified as possible action targets for risk management strategies.

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