Territory, Development and Risks:

From global strategies to local actions

Risks present a great diversity, both in the causes that can lead to them, and in the consequences that their manifestation can determine, so only an approach with plurality allows to present a holistic vision of the multiple possibilities of approach that the studies of risks and catastrophes they provide. Based on the factual diversity of the causes of situations, the aim is to reflect on ways not only of prevention, but also of improving responses through mitigation and their consequences, as well as new possible solutions.

There are “Territories” that, due to their location/geographical position, are subject/exposed to a diverse set of natural risks, among which volcanism, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms stand out, aggravated by a difficult climatic and geological context, with long periods of drought, erosion and soil degradation, which are sometimes already scarce and shallow, subject to or in the process of desertification, in which rains are rare, and when they do occur they are intense, giving rise to floods, capable of generating torrents that drag detrital material, giving rise to ravines, which can trigger mass movements.

TRapid growth and urbanization of increasingly large areas place increasing pressure on territories, which together with demographic grow or strong migratory movements, increase exposure to risk and, consequently, the vulnerability of populations, these communities already fragile, with low financial and educational resources, who survive especially on livestock and agriculture, generally, without the correct use of soil and water management (saline intrusion), with the introduction of invasive species, which generate pests and risks for health, in which the appropriation of space, with changes to the landscape and weak, disorderly and in many cases illegal constructions, increases exposure to risks and catastrophes, which jeopardize the survival of people, destroy communities or affect their infrastructure and cause serious social and psychological trauma.