ISDR-ICL Sendai Partnerships
2015–2025
Kyoji Sassa • Matjaž Mikoš
Yueping Yin, Editors
Foreword
Landslides are a serious geological hazard. Among the host of natural triggers are intense
rainfall, flooding, earthquakes or volcanic eruption, and coastal erosion caused by storms that
are all too often tied to the El Niño phenomenon. Human triggers including deforestation,
irrigation or pipe leakage, and mining spoil piles, or stream and ocean current alteration can
also spark landslides.
Landslides occur worldwide but certain regions are particularly susceptible. The UN’s Food
and Agriculture Organization underlines that steep terrain, vulnerable soils, heavy rainfall, and
earthquake activity make large parts of Asia highly susceptible to landslides. Other hotspots
include Central, South, and Northwestern America.
Landslides have devastating impact. They can generate tsunamis, for example. They can bring high economic costs, although estimating losses is difficult, particularly so when it comes to indirect losses. The latter are often confused with losses due to earthquakes or flooding. Globally, landslides cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damages and hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries each year. In the US alone, it has been estimated that landslides cause in excess of US$1 billion in damages on average per year, though that is considered a conservative figure and the real level could be at least double. Given this, it is important to understand the science of landslides: why they occur, what factors trigger them, the geology associated with them, and where they are likely to happen. Geological investigations, good engineering practices, and effective enforcement of land use management regulations can reduce landslide hazards. Early warning systems can also be very effective, with the integration between ground-based and satellite data in landslide mapping essential to identify landslide-prone areas. Given that human activities can be a contributing factor in causing landslides, there are a host of measures that can help to reduce risks, and losses if they do occur. Methods to avoid or mitigate landslides range from better building codes and standards in engineering of new construction and infrastructure, to better land use and proper planned alteration of drainage patterns, as well as tackling lingering risks on old landslide sites. Understanding the interrelationships between earth surface processes, ecological systems, and human activities is the key to reducing landslides disaster risks. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a 15-year international agreement adopted in March 2015, calls for more dedicated action on tackling underlying disaster risk drivers. It points to factors such as the consequences of poverty and inequality, climate change and variability, unplanned and rapid urbanization, poor land management, and compounding factors such as demographic change, weak institutional arrangements, and non-risk-informed policies. It also flags a lack of regulation and incentives for private disaster risk reduction investment, complex supply chains, limited availability of technology, and unsustainable uses of natural resources, declining ecosystems, pandemics and epidemics. The Sendai Framework also calls for better risk-informed sectoral laws and regulations, including those addressing land use and urban planning, building codes, environmental and vii resource management and health and safety standards, and underlines that they should be updated, where needed, to ensure an adequate focus on disaster risk management. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has an important role in reinforcing a culture of prevention and preparedness in relevant stakeholders. This is done by supporting the development of standards by experts and technical organizations, advocacy initiatives, and the dissemination of disaster risk information, policies, and practices. UNISDR also provides education and training on disaster risk reduction through affiliated organizations, and supports countries, including through national platforms for disaster risk reduction or their equivalent, in the development of national plans and monitoring trends and patterns in disaster risk, loss, and impacts. The International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) hosts the Sendai Partnerships 2015– 2025 for the global promotion of understanding and reducing landslide disaster risk. This is part of 2015–2025, a voluntary commitment made at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in 2015 in Sendai, Japan, where the international community adopted the Sendai Framework. The Sendai Partnerships will help to provide practical solutions and tools, education and capacity building, and communication and public outreach to reduce landslides risks. As such, they will contribute to the implementation of the goals and targets of the Sendai Framework, particularly on understanding disaster risks including vulnerability and exposure to integrated landslide-tsunami risk. The work done by the Sendai Partnerships can be of value to many stakeholders including civil protection, planning, development and transportation authorities, utility managers, agricultural and forest agencies, and the scientific community. UNISDR fully support the work of the Sendai Partnerships and the community of practice on landslides risks, and welcomes the 4th World Landslide Forum to be held in 2017 in Slovenia, which aims to strengthen intergovernmental networks and the international programme on landslides. Robert Glasser Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of UNISDR
Landslides have devastating impact. They can generate tsunamis, for example. They can bring high economic costs, although estimating losses is difficult, particularly so when it comes to indirect losses. The latter are often confused with losses due to earthquakes or flooding. Globally, landslides cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damages and hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries each year. In the US alone, it has been estimated that landslides cause in excess of US$1 billion in damages on average per year, though that is considered a conservative figure and the real level could be at least double. Given this, it is important to understand the science of landslides: why they occur, what factors trigger them, the geology associated with them, and where they are likely to happen. Geological investigations, good engineering practices, and effective enforcement of land use management regulations can reduce landslide hazards. Early warning systems can also be very effective, with the integration between ground-based and satellite data in landslide mapping essential to identify landslide-prone areas. Given that human activities can be a contributing factor in causing landslides, there are a host of measures that can help to reduce risks, and losses if they do occur. Methods to avoid or mitigate landslides range from better building codes and standards in engineering of new construction and infrastructure, to better land use and proper planned alteration of drainage patterns, as well as tackling lingering risks on old landslide sites. Understanding the interrelationships between earth surface processes, ecological systems, and human activities is the key to reducing landslides disaster risks. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a 15-year international agreement adopted in March 2015, calls for more dedicated action on tackling underlying disaster risk drivers. It points to factors such as the consequences of poverty and inequality, climate change and variability, unplanned and rapid urbanization, poor land management, and compounding factors such as demographic change, weak institutional arrangements, and non-risk-informed policies. It also flags a lack of regulation and incentives for private disaster risk reduction investment, complex supply chains, limited availability of technology, and unsustainable uses of natural resources, declining ecosystems, pandemics and epidemics. The Sendai Framework also calls for better risk-informed sectoral laws and regulations, including those addressing land use and urban planning, building codes, environmental and vii resource management and health and safety standards, and underlines that they should be updated, where needed, to ensure an adequate focus on disaster risk management. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has an important role in reinforcing a culture of prevention and preparedness in relevant stakeholders. This is done by supporting the development of standards by experts and technical organizations, advocacy initiatives, and the dissemination of disaster risk information, policies, and practices. UNISDR also provides education and training on disaster risk reduction through affiliated organizations, and supports countries, including through national platforms for disaster risk reduction or their equivalent, in the development of national plans and monitoring trends and patterns in disaster risk, loss, and impacts. The International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) hosts the Sendai Partnerships 2015– 2025 for the global promotion of understanding and reducing landslide disaster risk. This is part of 2015–2025, a voluntary commitment made at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in 2015 in Sendai, Japan, where the international community adopted the Sendai Framework. The Sendai Partnerships will help to provide practical solutions and tools, education and capacity building, and communication and public outreach to reduce landslides risks. As such, they will contribute to the implementation of the goals and targets of the Sendai Framework, particularly on understanding disaster risks including vulnerability and exposure to integrated landslide-tsunami risk. The work done by the Sendai Partnerships can be of value to many stakeholders including civil protection, planning, development and transportation authorities, utility managers, agricultural and forest agencies, and the scientific community. UNISDR fully support the work of the Sendai Partnerships and the community of practice on landslides risks, and welcomes the 4th World Landslide Forum to be held in 2017 in Slovenia, which aims to strengthen intergovernmental networks and the international programme on landslides. Robert Glasser Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of UNISDR
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