Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
OUTPUT 3: Overall Resource File
Prepared by
Alejandro Jiménez
Consultant
(Updated September 14, 2011)
Introduction
The Overall Resources File describes existing tools available throughout the environmental and
humanitarian sectors, clustered according to their applicability.
There are 9 main folders that you will find in the CD that will be handed to you during the PfR
Global Conference in The Hague – September 2011:
1. Coastal Zone Ecosystems, Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change:
including marine and coastal management methods, a training manual on DRR for
coastal zone managers and the Mangroves for the Future Climate Proof guide;
2. Community Environment Action Planning and Adaptation to Climate Change: including
The CRiSTAL Community-based Risk Screening Tool – Adaptation & Livelihoods website to download the tool and its guidelines; FRAME toolkits 3 & 4; Ramsar guide to
participatory action planning, Por Act documents and the DFID reference book
Characteristics of a Disaster Resilient Community;
3. Droughts & Floods:
4. Ecosystem Services, Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change:
including a series of sub-folders dealing with Forests and ACC; Conservation Areas and
ACC; Hybrid Engineering; The 3 volumes “toolkit”: Integrating Environmental
Safeguards into Disaster Risk Reduction; besides IUCN’s, Pro Act, World Bank
documents on the same issue; the UN Drought Risk Reduction Framework and
Practices is also included in the “Additional” sub-folder;
5. Environmental Assessment Tools: includes “An integrated wetland assessment toolkit” as
well as some guides on participatory / community-based ecosystem assessments;
Training Manuals on SEA and EIA are also included;
6. Examples of Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate
Change: a folder containing examples of ACC, Resilience building from around the
world; the RiVAMP case study for Jamaica is a good example of technical
EMR/DRR/ACC approaches integration;
7. Humanitarian partners’ Tools: containing CARE’s CVCA; CARE’s “Closing the Gap”
report on the state of Microfinance in Africa; Red Cross VCA and Cordaid’s Building
Resilient Communities; Not to Upload it;
8. Ramsar Handbooks: the selected Handbooks are: Handbook 5 on Wetland Vulnerability
Assessment; Handbook 7 on Participatory Skills in Wetland Management; Handbook 9
on Wetlands into River Basin Management.
9. Ridge to Reef materials: basic references that could be complemented with the websites
resources referred in this document. These are: Strategic Plan for Sustainable
Development of the Great River Watershed; a Community Watershed Assessment
Handbook, by the Chesapeake Bay Program.
A few websites dealing with ACC/DRR sources can be found on the last page of this
document.
Folder 1: Coastal Zones Ecosystems DRR & ACC
After the Tsunami: Coastal Ecosystem Restoration: Lessons Learned. UNEP
This report explains what is known about coastal ecosystems in the Indonesian province of
Nanggröe Aceh Darussalam (NAD or Aceh), their status before the tsunami of 2004 and how
they fared after it. It reviews the ecosystem restoration activities that were undertaken in 20052006 by a variety of governmental and NGO actors in partnership with many different
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stakeholder groups and updates findings into 2007. Specifically it critically examines the various
means by which the replanting of mangroves and other coastal vegetation was attempted and
quantifies the outcome in terms of success as measured by long term seedling survival.
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/dmb_tsunami_coastal.pdf
Regional Training Manual on Disaster Risk Reduction for Coastal Zone Managers –ADPC
This Training Manual on ‘Disaster Risk Reduction for Coastal Zone Managers’ is for use in
regional training course on DRR for Coastal Zone Managers, aimed at building the capacity of
government officials, NGOs, academia and other entities responsible for developing and
implementing coastal zone management (CZM) programs/projects by introducing the issues
and opportunities for integrating DRR into CZM projects. The knowledge shared through this
training will help the participants in developing projects and regulations on coastal areas that
incorporate DRR concerns and measures – but will not turn coastal managers into DRR
experts. Download at:
http://www.preventionweb.net/files/13219_13190AIDCORegionalTrainingManual1.pdf
Increasing floods risk and wetland losses due to global sea-level rise: regional and
global analyses. Nicholls, R.J. et al.
This paper sets some regional priorities for responding to climate change. It states:
In absolute terms, the areas most vulnerable to flooding are the southern Mediterranean, Africa,
and most particularly, South and South-east Asia where there is a concentration of low-lying
populated deltas. However, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean islands and the Pacific Ocean
small islands may experience the largest relative increase in flood risk. Download at:
http://www.mendeley.com/research/increasing-flood-risk-and-wetland-losses-due-to-globalsealevel-rise-regional-and-global-analyses/
ISME-ITTO_Manual on Coastal Forest Rehabilitation natural hazards – 2009
This manual describes the different types of coastal forests, the main hazards affecting coastal
forests and addresses some of the guidelines for their rehabilitation. It distinguishes mangrove
forests from other types of coastal forests.
Download at: http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/publications/v.php?id=13225
IUCN Documents: (i) The Management of Natural Coastal Carbon Sinks; (ii) Managing
Mangroves for Resilience to Climate change; (iii) Managing Sea grasses for Resilience to
Climate Change
The value of these reference documents lies in the fact they present a set of strategies
managers can apply to promote these ecosystems’ resilience as well as tools and methods /
what can be done for enhancing mangrove and sea grasses resilience. The Management of
Natural Coastal Carbon sinks explains the carbon sequestration role played by coastal marine
habitats such as: Tidal Salt Marshes, Mangroves, Seagrass Meadows, Kelp Forests, Coral
Reefs.
Download at:
(i) http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/carbon_managment_report_final_printed_version.
pdf
(ii) http://www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2006-041.pdf
(iii)
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/managing_seagrasses_for_resilience_to_climate_
change_
1.pdf
UNEP Guide to Marine and Coastal EBM – (Ecosystem-Based Management)
The Ecosystem Approach lays out a series of principles to guide management towards longterm sustainability of marine and coastal ecosystems. With this Guide, UNEP seeks to assist
countries and communities to take steps towards making marine and coastal ecosystem-based
management operational - from strategic planning to on-site implementation. Download at:
http://www.unep.org/pdf/EBM_Manual_r15_Final.pdf
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The potential of wetlands reducing storm surge
A critical component of flood protection in some coastal areas is expected to be the potential
contribution of wetlands to the lowering of surges as they propagate inland from the coast.
Consequently, an accurate method to quantify the effect of wetlands on coastal surge levels is
required. The degree to which wetlands attenuate surge is the subject of debate and difficult to
assess. The potential of wetlands to reduce storm surge has typically been expressed as a
constant attenuation rate, but the relationship is much more complex. A numerical storm surge
model was applied to assess the sensitivity of surge response to specified wetland loss. Results
suggest that wetlands do have the potential to reduce surges but the magnitude of attenuation
is dependent on the surrounding coastal landscape and the strength and duration of the storm
forcing. Upon request.
 Sub-Folder: Climate Proof: Mangroves for the future
Mangroves for the Future Climate Proof Guide: The guide outlines a four-stepped approach
to help you consider the potential impacts of climate change on your project design and
enhances the resilience and adaptive capacity of your project. Step 1: Set the context; Step 2:
Identify the impacts; Step 3: Select Adaptation Options (response) to manage the identified
impacts; Step 4:Determine project resources (inputs) required to implement the identified
adaptation option. Each step is explained in detail in the following sections and an example of
the outcome of this approach (applied to a hypothetical MFF large project proposal) is provided
in Appendix 1. Download at:
http://www.mangrovesforthefuture.org/Resources/Climate%20Proof%20Guideline.pdf
Mangroves for the Future Climate Proof Reference Tool: Section 2 describes relevant tools
for Adaptation to climate change, classifying them according to specific information needs. This
review is intended to support the assessment of climate related impacts and the development of
strategies to address the identified impacts. Download at:
http://www.mangrovesforthefuture.org/Resources/Climate%20Proof%20Reference%20Tool.pdf
Folder 2: Community Environmental Action Planning, Livelihoods &
ACC
The following tools can be used to have a better understanding of the use communities make of
environmental goods and services provided by a wide range of ecosystems. These tools are to
be used along with the communities, through workshops and interviews and may provide basic
information that could serve as a guide to design further research on ecosystems management
and restoration issues related to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Cristal Tool: Community-based Risk Screening Tool – Adaptation & Livelihoods can be
downloaded at:
http://www.iisd.org/cristaltool/
Community-level development projects can play a critical role in helping people adapt to the
impacts of climate change through activities that, inter alia, restore ecosystems, strengthen local
capacities for risk management and diversify livelihoods. But it can be difficult to exploit this
potential and minimize maladaptation without some concrete understanding of how projects
influence climate-related vulnerability and adaptive capacity. CRiSTAL helps project planners
and managers do this.
Sustainable Livelihoods Enhancement and Diversification SLED approach
The Sustainable Livelihoods Enhancement and Diversification SLED approach (SLED) has
been developed through building on the lessons of past livelihoods research projects and
worldwide experience in livelihood improvement and participatory development practice. It aims
to provide a set of guidance for development and conservation practitioners whose task it is to
assist people to enhance and diversify their livelihoods. The aim of this document is to provide
development practitioners with an introduction to the SLED process and guidance for
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
practitioners facilitating that process.
While this process of testing and refining SLED has been carried out specifically in the context
of efforts to manage coastal and marine resources, it is an approach that can be applied widely
wherever natural resources are facing degradation because of unsustainable human use.
The SLED approach provides a framework within which diverse local contexts and the local
complexities of livelihood change can be accommodated. Download at:
http://www.cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/sled_final_1.pdf
Characteristics of a Disaster Resilient Community: John Twigg-DFID. This document
explains what an ideal disaster resilient community looks like. You’ll find a basic guide for the
type of "environmental considerations" that could be pertinent to a DRR/ACC/EMR intervention
aimed at contributing to build sustainable community resilience.
On the box on page 28: "Environment and Natural Resource Management as a component of
resilience", the five characteristics outlined represent "the very basics" of the ecosystem's
issues to be considered when contributing to communities' resilience. Therefore, we can use
these as a basic guide to frame the type of EMR tools we might want to be sharing with our
DRR partners and to "inspire" some of WI’s future fieldwork. The whole Thematic Area 4 also
addresses Sustainable Livelihoods, Financial Instruments, Physical protection and Planning
regimes.
Download at:
http://practicalaction.org/reducing-vulnerability/docs/ia1/community-characteristics-enlowres.pdf
In Spanish:
FRAME Toolkit Modules 2, 3 & 4: guides to the non-expert on environmental issues on Rapid
Environmental Assessment simple methodologies consisting on checklists as well as
Community Environmental Action Planning.
Despite the purpose of these Handbooks is to provide guidance on the use of participatory
approaches to enhance environmental management in camps and settlements, in returnee
operations, and for use with local, host communities, it remains useful for all users: for the
humanitarian user is an entry point to key environmental issues; to the environmental expert it
could represent a tool for learning how to adapt “technical environmental tools” to different
audiences through the use of broader participatory approaches.
Download Toolkit 2 Environmental Assessment at:
http://www.unhcr.org/4a97aa739.html
Download Module 3 Rapid Environmental Assessment at:
http://www.unhcr.org/4a9690239.html
Download Module 4 Community Environmental Action Planning:
http://www.unhcr.org/4a97aaa49.html
Pro Act Fact Sheet: Community Environmental Action Plans (CEAPs)
This Fact-Sheet aims at addressing the role that community participation plays in sustainable
environmental planning. Advocating on the value of local knowledge, it states that community
ownership of environmental management activities increases the sustainability and costeffectiveness of external interventions. Download at:
http://www.proactnetwork.org/proactwebsite/media/download/Factsheets/ProActFactsheet_Com
munityEnvironmentalActionPlans.pdf
Pro Act IIED: Community-based ACC (adaptation to climate change)
The first section includes reflections on participatory processes and practice in communitybased adaptation to climate change. These have a variety of entry points, including participatory
vulnerability analysis, disaster risk reduction frame- works, and Farmer Field Schools. The case
studies provide a rich source of experience and lessons for CBA practitioners.
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
The second section focuses on participatory tool-based case studies. These describe a
participatory process with an emphasis on the use of a particular participatory tool, such as
participatory video or participatory mapping. They also reflect on the strengths and limitations of
these tools.
The third section, participatory tools, includes shorter, step-by-step descriptions of how to
facilitate a particular tool in a community, for example, rain calendars and mental models of the
drivers and effects of climate change. Download at:
http://pubs.iied.org/14573IIED.html
Ramsar Guide to Participatory Action Planning:
This guide presents a process for participatory action planning with techniques for facilitating
groups that can be used for developing (or updating) a communication, education, participation
and awareness raising (CEPA) action plan or, preferably, for developing a policy or
management action plan which fully integrates communication, education, participation and
awareness raising action.
The guide leads you through a four part process: (Part 1) clarifying the action planning context;
(Part 2) charting change in a multi-stakeholder workshop; (Part 3) validating thinking with focus
groups and stakeholder surveys; and (Part 4) moving from ideas to action in a second
workshop. Download at:
http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/outreach_actionplanning_guide.pdf
UNISDR Africa and UNEP Environmental Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction A
community leader’s guide: This Community Leader’s Guide is intended to provide information
and support to community leaders with a responsibility for managing the welfare of local
communities and their natural environment. The guide provides an introduction to the use of
Environmental Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction as tools for promoting Sustainable
Development, before indicating how these are applicable at the community level. Examples of
some of the successes achieved by African communities are used to demonstrate how these
principles can be applied. Download at:
http://www.unisdr.org/files/8548_environmentalprotectioncommunity1.pdf
ISDR Guide for implementing the HFA by local stakeholders_2010
The Hyogo Framework for Action-Priority 4 deals with environmental / ecosystem issues.
It is worth taking a look at it to understand the priorities set for humanitarian and DRR
organizations. It has some practical useful guidelines as well. Download at:
http://www.preventionweb.net/files/13101_ImplementingtheHFA.pdf
Participatory Coastal Resource Assessment Training Guide
The participatory methods outlined in this guide could be useful not only for coastal resources
assessments but also for inland wetlands’ assessments and integrated water resources
management initiatives. In general, the participatory activities presented in this guide could be
of use to complement WI’s and PfR Alliance EMR tools: conducting interviews, facilitating
calendar and trend diagramming, facilitating a community mapping activity, transect walks,
analyzing and organizing data, are all addressed in this training guide. Download at:
http://oneocean.org/download/db_files/pcra_training_guide.pdf
Folder 3: Drought & Flood Management
Drought Meeting Report. Living with Risk: An Integrated Approach to Reducing Societal
Vulnerability to Drought. ISDR Ad Hoc Discussion Group on Drought, 2003.
http://sheltercentre.org/Language/English
Drought Risk Reduction Framework and Practices: Contributing to the Implementation of the
Hyogo Framework for Action. ISDR 2009.
http://www.unisdr.org/files/11541_DroughtRiskReduction2009library.pdf
Environmental Aspects of Integrated Flood Management. APFM - WMO. 2006.
In English:
http://www.apfm.info/pdf/ifm_environmental_aspects.pdf
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
In French:
http://www.apfm.info/pdf/ifm_environmental_aspects_Fr.pdf
Integrated Flood Management as an Adaptation Tool for Climate Change. WMO – GWP –
APFM. 2011.
http://www.apfm.info/pdf/ifm_tools/Case_studies_CCA.pdf
The Associated Programme on Flood Management (See: http://www.apfm.info/)
Find case Studies at: http://www.apfm.info/publications.htm
Find Pilot Projects in Kenya and Zambia at: http://www.apfm.info/regional_projects/africa.htm
E-Learning Platform on Integrated Flood Management at:
http://daad.wb.tu-harburg.de/
Also Find a Flood Management Toolbox at: http://www.apfm.info/ifm_tools.htm
Applying Environmental Assessment for Flood Management
This tool provides flood management practitioners a generic approach for
integrating environmental considerations into the decision-making
processes in basin flood management on project as well as strategic levels.
As such, it provides generic approaches for conducting Strategic
Environmental Assessments (SEA) at the basin flood management planning
stage and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) at the project design
and implementation stage.
On Droughts:
ISDR has published a basic reference, in which Environmental and Biodiversity issues are very
briefly addressed:
"Drought Risk Reduction Framework and Practices"
http://www.unisdr.org/files/11541_DroughtRiskReduction2009library.pdf
pp.60 deals with Environmental Management and Climate Change, and there is an interesting
Table 2 on pp.61 relating Biodiversity Monitoring;
Table 3 on pp.61 deals with Adaptation to CC;
Another example:
Droughts, Livestock and livelihoods:
Lessons learned from the 1999-2001 emergency response in the pastoral sector in Kenya, at:
http://www.unisdr.org/files/1855_VL102122.pdf
Partially addressing droughts and floods see the following resources:
The Role of Environmental Management and Eco-Engineering in Disaster Risk Reduction
and Climate Change Adaptation, addresses along with case studies the role of EMR in the
face of hazards such as: Severe storms, Tsunami, Earthquakes; Landslides and avalanches;
Flooding; Fire; Drought and Desertification.
Download at: http://www.preventionweb.net/files/4148_emecoengindrrcca1.pdf
Environment and Disaster Risk. UNEP: with good tables on Ecosystems' services and their
linkages to DRR:
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/env_vulnerability.pdf
To complement the Ecosystem Approach, you can also use (besides the previous one):
The Environmental Guidance Note, which focuses on why ecosystems matter for DRR,
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
Ecosystem’s services and their meaning for poverty and risk reduction in addressing the
underlying
causes
of
risk.
Download
at:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/guidancenoteoct2009.pdf
Folder 4: Ecosystem Services, DRR & ACC
Link to The Global Development Research Center (GDRC): Environmental Management and
Disaster Risk Reduction:
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/disenvi/index.html
 Sub-Folder: CIFOR Forest ACC:
Ecosystem-based Adaptation in the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs)
This paper by Emilia Pramova et al., analyzes and describes to what extent are ecosystem
services considered, as factors of human well-being and as adaptation measures. Upon
request.
Facing an uncertain future: How forests and people adapt to climate change
This book explores tropical forests’ vulnerability to climate change and some of the ways people
and forest can adapt. It describes environmental services’ contribution to adaptation and
provides some key ideas on the mainstreaming of tropical forests’ conservation into adaptation
policies. Download at:
http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/publications/pdf_files/media/CIFOR_adaptation.pdf
 Sub-Folder: Conservation DRR & ACC
This folder contains IUCN’s and WWF’s views on the values of Protected Areas in Disaster Risk
Reduction and Coping / Adapting to climate change: IUCN’s “Natural Solutions” and WWF
“Global Disaster Outlook: a conservation perspective”
In this last document, WWF did a risk assessment of its Priority Conservation Places: To better
understand the global risk that natural disasters pose to Earth’s areas of greatest biodiversity,
WWF prepared a natural hazard risk assessment of its Priority Places: 19 critical regions
selected by WWF-US on the basis of the wealth and diversity of life they support, the
destructive challenges they face, and humankind’s ability to impact them within the next
decade. These 19 Priority Places occupy roughly 10.4 percent of the Earth’s land surface
Download IUCN - Natural Solutions at:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/natural_solutions.pdf
Download WWF Global disaster outlook… at:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/partners/humanitarian/WWFBinaryitem11527.pdf
WWF’s Natural Security puts forward a few examples from Mozambique, Bangladesh, The
Lower Danube, US-Katrina, Pakistan Earthquake and the Indian Ocean Tsunami; it also
provides a summary of the international agreements linking ecosystem management and
disaster risk reduction. Download at:
http://www.google.es/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fass
ets.panda.org%2Fdownloads%2Fnatural_security_final.pdf&rct=j&q=WWF%20Natural%20Sec
urity&ei=5Z0UTvaLEsfSsgaM8NTZDg&usg=AFQjCNFVQiSUdvS4iB8XZpW5hFfWEsP-jw
 Sub-Folder: Hybrid Engineering
Nature’s Technology (Hybrid Engineering Flood & Drought): this brief article provides
examples of the cost effectiveness of natural infrastructure. Upon request.
IUCN Environment as Infrastructure: resilience to climate change impacts on water
through investments in nature: addresses the issues of investing in protecting environmental
services, particularly “regulating” or “protective” services which as cost-effective adaptation
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
measures can contribute to mitigate different types of hazards in the face of climate change.
Download at: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/iucn_environment_as_infrastructure_1.pdf
 Sub-Folder IUCN - Integrating Environmental
Management: a field manual (3 volumes)
Safeguards
into
Disaster
This manual attempts to provide background information and guidance for integrating
environmental concerns into disaster management and to provide direction for carrying out
integrated assessments.
The manual is structured in three parts. Volume 1 gives background information on ecosystems
and their value, and also clarifies the difference between natural hazards and natural disasters.
It discusses risk and vulnerability. Climate change and its impacts on natural disasters are also
discussed. Volume 1 also presents a series of annexes detailing ecosystem services of and
threats to ecosystems described in the text. Download at:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/integrating_environmental_safeguards_into_disaster__mana
gement__vol_1.pdf
Volume 2 describes the disaster management cycle and its phases: prevention, mitigation,
preparedness, relief, recovery and rebuilding. It deals with each of the components of the
disaster management cycle, lists steps and raises questions that must be asked at each step in
order to integrate environmental concerns into disaster management. The steps and questions
are designed round the framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and its identified
threats. Download at:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/integrating_environmental__safeguards__into_disaster_man
agement_vol_2.pdf
Finally, in the third volume, an integrated summary worksheet is presented as a tool for use.
Details of the techniques for each component of assessment are also presented in this volume,
as well as a list of available web resources. Download at:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/integrating_environmental_safeguards_into_disaster_manag
ement_vol_3.pdf
There is an additional volume on integrating environmental safeguards into flood relief,
response and recovery which could be of use for PfR Alliance partners and also for WI in case
some environmental advice is requested from its partners to complement their relief activities.
Download at: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/pk_flood_response.pdf
 Sub-Folder: IUCN Ecosystems & Disasters
IUCN’s Ecosystems, Livelihoods and Disasters and Environmental Guidance Note for
Disaster Risk Reduction. Two very practical publications, the first one addressing the “steps”
to apply an Ecosystem Approach in the phases of the Disaster Management Cycle: Early
Warning; Emergency response; Post-disaster clean-up; Re-establishing sustainable livelihoods;
Rehabilitating and restoring ecosystems. Then, it focuses on Disaster Mitigation strategies,
including local capacity building.
Download at: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/ecosystems_livelihoods_and_disasters.pdf
The Environmental Guidance Note focuses on why ecosystems matter for DRR, Ecosystem’s
services and their meaning for poverty and risk reduction in addressing the underlying causes of
risk. Download at: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/guidancenoteoct2009.pdf
UNEP. Environment and Disaster Risk
http://postconflict.unep.ch/publications/env_vulnerability.pdf
 Sub-Folder: Pro Act Ecosystems & DRR
The Role of Environmental Management and Eco-Engineering in Disaster Risk Reduction
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
and Climate Change Adaptation, addresses along with case studies the role of EMR in the
face of hazards such as: Severe storms, Tsunami, Earthquakes; Landslides and avalanches;
Flooding; Fire; Drought and Desertification.
Download at: http://www.preventionweb.net/files/4148_emecoengindrrcca1.pdf
The Role of Environmental Management and Eco-Engineering in Disaster Risk Reduction
and Climate Change Adaptation. Annex 1: Case Studies, presents in detail the case studies
used in the main book.
Download at: http://www.preventionweb.net/files/4148_em.report.annex1.pdf
The “Briefing Note” Maximizing Ecosystem services for Disaster Risk Reduction: is a
good introductory note highlighting the key messages on ecosystem services Environmental
Organizations could use to bridge EMR and DRR approaches. Download at:
http://www.unisdr.org/files/14253_environmentDRRbriefing1.pdf
 Sub-Folder World Bank Ecosystem DRR & ACC
The Last Straw: Integrating Natural Disaster Mitigation with Environmental Management:
worth reading section 3: Country Studies; besides, the Annexes for each country: Dominica,
Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, where the authors try to “downscale” to each country’s specific
risk and environmental situation.
This book presents strong circumstantial evidence from documents and interviews to support
the conclusion that natural resources and environmental management can have a significant
influence on natural hazard risks. For instance, the degradation of mangroves, reefs and natural
beaches affects storm surge and wave risk, and deforestation and unsustainable agricultural
practices on mountain slopes lead to increases in flood and landslide risk, locally and
downstream. Download at:
http://www.proventionconsortium.org/themes/default/pdfs/last_straw.pdf
 Sub-Folder: Additional Floods, Droughts, DRR & ACC
Here some documents which can be considered very “general” in their approach and so difficult
to cluster in any of the above Floders can be found.
Highlighting the following 2 from the 6 documents included:
Environmental degradation and disaster risk
Issue paper prepared by the ADPC for Embassy of Sweden/Sida Bangkok
Download at:
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/disasters/disenvi/Environmental-Degradation-and-Disaster-Risk.pdf
The Embassy of Sweden/Sida Bangkok’s interest in the prevention dividends associated with
environmental management touches on three key issues facing contemporary disaster
managers:
1. What is the value of prevention?
2. How can we achieve synergy and integration across sectors such as disaster risk
reduction and environmental management?
3. What scientific evidence and decision support tools are available to help operationalize
the integration?
Linking Disaster Risk Reduction, Environmental Management and Development Practice
and Practitioners in the Asia Pacific Region: A review of opportunities for integration
(Disaster and Environment Working Group Asia – DEWGA)
Download at:
http://www.preventionweb.net/files/13199_DEWGAIntegratingenvironmentandDRRSt.pdf
The study focuses on the interfaces between these three areas: (i) Disaster-Environment
convergence; (ii) Development-Disaster convergence; and (iii) Disaster-EnvironmentDevelopment convergence.
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
Folder 5: Environmental Assessment Tools
Environmental Impact Assessment Online Course (Module):
http://eia.unu.edu/course/?page_id=173
The Module is designed to provide a critical overview of the theory and practice of EIA as
operated internationally to those students who need to understand EIA: this includes formal
students being graduate and postgraduate students, plus practitioners/professionals. Within this
framework there are opportunities to customize the material to reflect local jurisdictional
procedures and issues.
Impact Assessment: Handbook 13 for the Wise Use of Wetlands – Ramsar
http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/lib/lib_handbooks2006_e13.pdf
An integrated Wetland Assessment Toolkit-IUCN:
This toolkit sets out a process for integrated assessment and provides a set of methods that can
be used to investigate the links between biodiversity, economics and livelihoods in wetlands,
and to identify and address potential conflicts of interest between conservation and
development objectives. The integrated approach presented in the toolkit also enables
practitioners to assess a wetland in terms of its combined biodiversity, economic and livelihood
values. It has a particular focus on strengthening pro-poor approaches to wetland management.
It is intended to help overcome the current methodological and information gaps in wetland
assessment, thereby facilitating the factoring of wetland values into conservation and
development decision-making and management planning. It can be applied to all sorts of
wetlands and at all scales. Note that the toolkit is not primarily intended as a village
development planning methodology. However it may be adapted to contribute information
needed for such a planning process.
Download at: http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/iwa_toolkit_contents_intro_lowres.pdf
The Ramsar Wetland Rapid Eco Assessment
Focusing on the assessment of wetland biodiversity this guide could be very useful in the PfR
Alliance framework if complemented with a participatory approach like “community biodiversity
surveys”. Download at:
http://www.ramsar.org/pdf/res/key_res_ix_01_annexei_e.pdf
Strategic Environmental Assessment Course Manual IAIA and
UNEP EIA Training Resource Manual
These are guides for training in SEIA and EIA, though specific SEA / EIA concepts and
methodologies are explained in detail.
Download SEA at:
http://www.iaia.org/publicdocuments/EIA/SEA/SEAManual.pdf
Download EIA training resource manual at:
http://www.iaia.org/publicdocuments/EIA/SEA/SEAManual.pdf
Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP): new version of SEI's modelling platform for
integrated
water
resources
planning,
available
now
for
download
at
(http://www.weap21.org/Download ).
Highlights include:
Scenario Explorer; Internal scripting; User-defined variables; FAO 56, dual Kc, daily catchment
hydrology (MABIA); Allocate water for hydropower demands; Calibration Wizard (PEST);
Groundwater particle tracking (MODPATH); Safe Yield Wizard; Chart improvements; Windows
7 and 64-bit Windows compatibility; Many other improvements;
See http://www.weap21.org/Highlights.pdf for an overview of the major features of this new
version.
Guideline for Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters
http://www.alnap.org/pool/files/rea-guidelines-v4-4-english-version.pdf
The Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disaster (REA) is a tool to identify,
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
define, and prioritize potential environmental impacts in disaster situations. A simple,
consensus-based qualitative assessment process, involving narratives and rating tables, is
used to identify and rank environmental issues and follow-up actions during a disaster. The
REA is built around conducting simple analysis of information in the following areas:
 The general context of the disaster.
 Disaster related factors that may have an immediate impact on the environment.
 Possible immediate environmental impacts of disaster agents.
 Unmet basic needs of disaster survivors that could lead to adverse impact on the
environment.
 Potential negative environmental consequences of relief operations.
Climate change and vulnerability assessment toolkit
An on-line toolkit for assessment of vulnerability to climate change was successfully tested in
two sample sites in the United States. Since the toolkit is web based, any national or foreign
local entity forming a focus group to investigate vulnerability issues related to natural hazards
can apply for login privileges. The login account establishes a secure and private collaborative
GIS environment that a focus group can customize to its specific location. The Vulnerability
Assessment Support System (VASS, vass.smrc-research.com) is designed for ease-of-use to
provide an effective way for non-expert users and small communities to assess their
vulnerability to climate change and to prioritize their response strategy according to known past
hazards and availability of critical facilities. The VASS toolkit is developed and maintained by
SMRC under a grant from the NOAA CPO-SAR Program in collaboration with Pennsylvania
State University and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Folder 6: Examples Eco-based DRR & ACC
In this folder you’ll find examples of eco-based climate change adaptation and building
resilience to climate change from around the world in the IUCN documents.
The DARA Risk Reduction Index is an example of a new index that has been put together for
each one of the Central American countries as a pilot region, which includes broad
environmental indicators as “triggers” of risk. Download at:
http://daraint.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/RRI.pdf
The RIVAMP or The Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Methodology Development Project
Report presents the results of the pilot assessment with the case of Jamaica: Linking
Ecosystems to Risk and Vulnerability Reduction. An inspiring though very technical
methodology applied in Jamaica comes generates very significant results showing the key role
played by coastal ecosystems at reducing vulnerability. Download at:
http://www.grid.unep.ch/product/publication/download/RiVAMP.pdf
Three IUCN Publications with resilience and adaptation examples from all over the world:
Addressing Climate Change: lessons from around the world:
http://www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2010-033.pdf
IUCN Building resilience to Climate Change: Ecosystem-based adaptation lessons from
the field:
http://www.iucn.org/what/tpas/climate/resources/publications/?uPubsID=4185
Ecosystem-based Adaptation: a natural response to climate change:
http://www.iucn.org/what/tpas/climate/resources/publications/?uPubsID=3944
Folder 7: Humanitarian partners’ Tools
CARE’s CVCA: Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis – Handbook is the main tool CARE
uses to contribute to adaptation to climate change at the national, community and household
levels. It does not include EMR issues, though these could be linked through the livelihoods and
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
the “underlying causes of vulnerability” analysis addressed in this handbook. Download at:
http://www.careclimatechange.org/cvca/CARE_CVCAHandbook.pdf
CARE’s “Closing the Gap” report describes the state of the sector on Microfinance in Africa.
Worth considering if financial mechanisms (as Bio-rights) are to be considered as part of the
EMR tools of interest for Africa in the PfR framework. Download at:
http://www.care-international.org/Download-document/708-Access-Africa-Closing-theGap_JUne-2011.html
Red Cross VCA: the 4 documents include the full methodology and guidance notes to conduct a
Vulnerability Capacity Analysis, besides a climate assessment table. Entry points for EMR
issues are being explored. Download: How to do a VCA Handbook at:
http://www.google.es/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fww
w.ifrc.org%2FGlobal%2FPublications%2Fdisasters%2Fvca%2Fhow-to-do-vcaen.pdf&ei=oZ8UTumsBofBswb_4N3dDg&usg=AFQjCNGK598aCh97stD-psgMlpsVHmVEaQ
Cordaid’s & IIRR Building Resilient Communities: this manual focuses on Community-managed
Disaster Risk Reduction. Entry points for EMR issues are also being explored. Download at:
http://cordaid.peers.me/api/publications/cordaid!w+KP2GuR1BgO6V0/attachments/Introduction.
pdf
Folder 8: Ramsar Handbooks
The selected Ramsar Handbooks are: Handbook 5 on Wetland Vulnerability Assessment;
Handbook 7 on Participatory Skills in Wetland Management; Handbook 9 on Wetlands into
River Basin Management.
Folder 9: Ridges to Reef Approach & IWRM
A reference to the Ridge to Reefs Approach has been included:
Ridge to Reef Watershed Project: USAID
Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development of the Great River Watershed
http://www.rmportal.net/library/content/Water_Watershed_Management/watershedgreatriver_2004-08_pdabz873.pdf/at_download/file
About the Project itself:
http://www.rmportal.net/library/content/Water_Watershed_Management/watershedgreatriver_2004-08_pdabz873.pdf/view?set_language=es
Ridge to Reef project in the Langaran and Layawan River Basins, in the Mindanao area, the
Philippines:
http://beta.searca.org/searca/index.php/news/406-from-ridge-to-reef-an-ecosystem-basedapproach-to-biodiversity-conservation-and-development-in-the-philippines
On-line tutorial on IWRM:
Cap-Net: Tutorial on Basic Principles of Integrated Water Resources Management:
http://www.archive.cap-net.org/iwrm_tutorial/mainmenu.htm
Community Watershed Assessment Handbook
The Community Watershed Assessment Handbook is a simple and straightforward watershed
assessment tool that is intended to direct community groups and local governments in
conducting a comprehensive environmental assessment. The purpose of the handbook is to
outline a basic process for assessing your community’s current and anticipated future
watershed conditions. In addition, the manual offers guidance for using the resulting
assessment information as a foundation for future watershed management planning.
http://archive.chesapeakebay.net/pubs/watershed_assess/index.htm
Le Niger, une artère vitale: Gestion efficace de l'eau dans le Bassin du Haut Niger:
http://afrique.wetlands.org/LIBRARY/tabid/978/mod/7098/articleType/CategoryView/categoryId/
65/French.aspx
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Wetlands International – Partner for Resilience Alliance Programme
Some ACC/DRR Key WEBSITES
United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC):
National Communications:
http://www.unfccc.int/national_repor ts/non-annex_i_natcom/ items/2979.php
National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs):
http://unfccc.int/cooperation_suppor t/least_developed_ countries_por
tal/submitted_napas/items/4585.php
Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change (NWP)
http://unfccc.int/adaptation/nairobi_work_programme/items/3633.php
See the partners, action pledges and experts database at:
http://unfccc.int/adaptation/nairobi_work_programme/partners_and_action_pledges/items/
5005.php
See Calls for Action at:
http://unfccc.int/adaptation/nairobi_work_programme/calls_for_action/items/4430.php
See Knowledge resources and publications at:
http://unfccc.int/adaptation/nairobi_work_programme/knowledge_resources_and_publicat
ions/items/5136.php
ELAN: The Ecosystems and Livelihoods Adaptation Network: CARE, IUCN, WWF, IIED;
http://www.elanadapt.net/
Oxfam GB
Internal resources, including programme policies:
http://intranet.oxfam.org.uk/programme/arr
External resources, including policy papers and national reports on climate change:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/policy/climate_change/index.html
Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction
http://www.pedrr.net/
PreventionWeb:
http://www.preventionweb.net/english/
5th Community-based Adaptation, Dhaka Bangladesh:
http://www.iied.org/climate-change/key-issues/community-based-adaptation/cba-conference-2011
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Adaptation country profiles
http://country-profiles.geog.ox.ac.uk
http://www.undp.org/climatechange/adapt/index.html
UN Human Development Report: Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world:
http://hdr.undp.org/ en/repor ts/global/hdr2007-2008/
UNISDR (2008) Climate change and disaster risk reduction. Briefing
http://www.unisdr.org/eng/risk- reduction/climate-change/cc-information.html
We Adapt: collaborating on Climate Change Adaptation
http://www.weadapt.org/subject/environment
Climate Change Explorer Tool developed by SEI
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