New Books: Water Governance for Sustainable Development Approaches and Lessons from Developing and Transitional Countries By Stefano Farolfi (1 Jun 2013)

Water Governance for Sustainable Development

Approaches and Lessons from Developing and Transitional Countries

By Stefano Farolfi

Edited by Sylvain Perret, Rashid Hassan

Published 1st June 2013 by Routledge – 320 pages

Descriptions:

Good management of water resources - universally identified as a key aspect of poverty reduction, agriculture and food security - has proven, in practice, as difficult to achieve as it is eagerly sought. This book, edited and authored by leading authorities on water resource management, examines the recent changes in governance, institutions, economics and policies of water, covering developing, transitional and developed countries, with special emphasis on southern African case studies. The book examines how water policies, institutions and governance have shifted in recent years from supply-driven, quantitative, centrally controlled management to more demand-sensitive, decentralized, participatory approaches. Such a move often also implies cost recovery principles, resource allocation among competing sectors, and privatization. The case studies demonstrate that the new policies and legal frameworks have been difficult to implement and often fall short of initial expectations. Using an accessible multidisciplinary approach that integrates economics, sociology, geography and policy analysis, the book untangles the issues and presents best practices for policy- and decision-makers, governments and regulators, NGOs and user groups, service providers, and researchers. The overall aim is to show how good water governance structures can be developed and implemented for the benefit of all.

Contents:

Introduction 

* Part I
* Understanding Water Institutions: Structure, Environment and Change Process
* Public�Private Partnership in Irrigation and Drainage: The Need for a Professional Third Party Between Farmers and Government 

* Part II
* The Possibility of Trade in Water Use Entitlements in South Africa under the National Water Act of 1998
* Redressing Inequities through Domestic Water Supply: A 'Poor' Example from Sekhukhune, South Africa
* Local Governance Issues after Irrigation Management Transfer: A Case Study from Limpopo Province, South Africa
* Water Management on a Smallholder Canal Irrigation Scheme in South Africa
* Emerging Rules after Irrigation Management Transfer to Farmers
* Crafting Water Institutions for People and Their Businesses: Exploring the Possibilities in Limpopo 

* Part III
* Conflict Analysis and Value-focused Thinking to Aid Resolution of Water Conflicts in the Mkoji Sub-catchment, Tanzania
* Determinants of Quality and Quantity Values of Water for Domestic Uses in the Steelpoort Sub-basin: A Contingent Valuation Approach
* Water Resources and Food Security: Simulations for Policy Dialogue in Tanzania
* How More Regulated Dam Release Can Improve the Supply from Groundwater and Surface Water in the Tadla Irrigation Scheme in Morocco
* Impact of Institutional Changes within Small-scale Groundwater Irrigated Systems: A Case Study in Mexico
* Local Empowerment in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes: A Methodology for Participatory Diagnosis and Prospective Analysis
* Role-playing Game Development in Irrigation Management: A Social Learning Approach
* Support to Stakeholder Involvement in Water Management Circumventing Some Participation Pitfalls

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415852029/

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New Books: International Regimes in China Domestic Implementation of the International Fisheries Agreements By Gianluca Ferraro (15 Jul 2013)

International Regimes in China

Domestic Implementation of the International Fisheries Agreements

By Gianluca Ferraro

Published 15th July 2013 by Routledge – 164 pages

Descriptions:

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, more than 80% of world’s fish stocks are fully exploited, over-exploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion. Although several international agreements have promoted more responsible fisheries, coastal states have usually maintained national policies that enable higher harvest levels rather than greater conservation of fish stocks, and international agreements for more responsible fisheries have generally experienced a weak domestic implementation.

Among the major coastal fishing states, China constitutes the largest fish producer and main exporter in the world, and therefore presents a fascinating case-study for the domestic implementation of international fisheries agreements. This book investigates the degree to which China has complied with the international agreements it has signed, and asks why it is failing to meet expectations. Crucially, it calls for greater emphasis on the political, rather than technical, issues involved in the implementation of international regimes. In turn, it examines how understanding the case of China can help us to develop solutions for improved international compliance in the future.

Providing an improved understanding of the implementation of international regimes, alongside an in-depth study of China’s political system, policy-making and compliance, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Chinese studies, international relations, public policy, and international law and environmental studies. It will also be useful for policy makers working in the fields of environmental regulation and fisheries management.

Contents:

Introduction
1. Fisheries between international and national policy-making
2. Implementation in theory
3. The political system of the People’s Republic of China
4. China’s power centres and authority relations
5. Fisheries resources management and fishing licenses
6. Fisheries resources management and fishing quotas
7. Marine environmental protection and MPAs
8. Domestic implementation of the international fisheries agreements in China
9. International regimes in China
10. Conclusions

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415643214/

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New Books: Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction Putting Research into Practice Edited by Carina Fearnley, Emily Wilkinson, Catherine J. Tillyard,Stephen J. Edwards (19 Jul 2013)

Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction

Putting Research into Practice

Edited by Carina Fearnley, Emily Wilkinson, Catherine J. Tillyard,Stephen J. Edwards

Published 19th July 2013 by Routledge – 112 pages

Descriptions:

Building upon presentations given during the conference on ‘Disaster Risk Reduction for Natural Hazards: Putting Research into Practice’, held at University College London in November 2009, the articles collected in this book examine how natural hazards research is accessed and used by practitioners and decision-makers, and conversely, how policy and practice inform research.

As with the conference, this book successfully brings together views from humanitarian and development agencies, academia, business, government and funding bodies. It is rare to engage such a wide range of sectors in a discussion relating to the issues of disaster risk reduction from a natural hazards perspective, and the book captures this interaction and the resultant exchange of ideas, thus providing an insight into how stakeholders respectively undertake or engage with natural hazards research. Collectively, the articles highlight the need for greater dialogue, understanding and collaboration between all these sectors if research is to be made relevant and generate significant impact on risk reduction policy and practice. There is an urgent requirement to better understand the respective needs, ways of working, project timescales and funding mechanisms for disaster risk reduction, as well as the challenges posed by institutional and organizational structures and functions. These issues must be overcome to ensure that ultimately, and most significantly, discussions turn into positive practical actions so that research on natural hazards is relevant and applicable. The book represents a step in that journey.

This book was published as a special issue of Environmental Hazards.

Contents:

1. Preface 
2. Culture and disaster risk reduction: Lessons and opportunities 
3. Disaster-induced migration: Assessing the impact of extreme weather events on livelihoods
4. Building livelihoods to reduce risk among the most marginalized in urban areas: Strategic approaches from Dhaka 
5. Evaluating critical links in early warning systems for natural hazards 
6. ‘Community’ perceptions of a disaster risk reduction intervention at Santa Ana (Ilamatepec) Volcano, El Salvador 
7. Why ‘small is beautiful’ in municipal disaster risk reduction: Evidence from the Yucatán peninsula, Mexico 
8. Conference summary on disaster risk reduction for natural hazards: Putting research into practice

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415834605/

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New Books: Managing Adaptation to Climate Risk Beyond Fragmented Responses By Geoff O'Brien, Phil O'Keefe (8 Jul 2013)

Managing Adaptation to Climate Risk

Beyond Fragmented Responses

By Geoff O'Brien, Phil O'Keefe

Published 8th July 2013 by Routledge – 218 pages

Descriptions:

Climate change is the single largest threat to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable development. Addressing climate risk is a challenge for all. This book calls for greater collaboration between climate communities and disaster development communities. In discussing this, the book will evaluate the approaches used by each community to reduce the adverse effects of climate change. One area that offers some promise for bringing together these communities is through the concept of resilience. This term is increasingly used in each community to describe a process that embeds capacity to respond to and cope with disruptive events. This emphasizes an approach that is more focused on pre-event planning and using strategies to build resilience to hazards in an adaptation framework. The book will conclude by evaluating the scope for a holistic approach where these communities can effectively contribute to building communities that are resilient to climate driven risks.

Contents:

Introduction
1. The Sustainability Problem
2. The Climate Journey
3. Climate Extremes - Does a Post-normal Approach Make Sense?
4. Disaster Management
5. Adaptation
6. The Concept of Resilience
7. Development
8. Social Capital and Social Learning
9. Conclusion

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415600941/

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New Books: Climate Change and Sustainable Cities Edited by Hugo Priemus, Simin Davoudi (3 Jul 2013)

Climate Change and Sustainable Cities

Edited by Hugo Priemus, Simin Davoudi

Published 3rd July 2013 by Routledge – 192 pages


Descriptions:
Climate change has demonstrated, perhaps more than any other environmental concerns, the complexities of the human-nature interrelationship and the need for embedding a far greater environmental consciousness into our social values and norms. A drastic reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions requires a transition to low carbon cities. This demands a better understanding of the interactions between social, technical, and spatial processes which constitute cities.

The aim of this book is to explore these interactions and urge urban planners and other built environment professionals to revisit some of their traditional concepts, methods, and ways of thinking about what constitutes a ‘good’ city and according to whose priorities. The book brings together nine contributions ranging from broad overviews to sector-specific analysis, paying particular attention to the role of urban planning. Contributors cover climate change mitigation and adaptation, deal with different scales of analysis ranging from international and European to national and city perspectives, and discuss a range of policy sectors including housing, transport, energy, sea level rise as well as pathways for climate policy implementation. The diversity of the contributions is itself a reflection of the multitude of climate change concerns that preoccupy researchers, policy makers and practitioners.

This book was published as a special issue of European Planning Studies.


Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Governing Carbon and Climate in the Cities: An Overview of Policy and Planning Challenges and Options
3. National Climate Change Adaptation Strategies of European States from a Spatial Planning and Development Perspective
4. Climate Risk and Security: New Meanings of `the Environment` in the English Planning System
5. Rotterdam: A city and a Mainport on the Edge of a Delta
6. Improving Sustainability in Urban Areas: Discussing the Potential for Transforming Conventional Car-based Travel into Electric Mobility
7. Towards Energy-neutral New Housing Developments. Municipal Climate Governance in The Netherlands
8. Improving Energy Efficiency of Social Housing Areas: A Case Study of a Retrofit Achieving an "A" Energy Performance Rating in the UK
9. Mediating Low-Carbon Urban Transitions? Forms of Organization, Knowledge and Action
10. Local Demonstrations for Global Transitions—Dynamics across Governance Levels Fostering Socio-Technical Regime Change Towards Sustainability

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415826969/

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New Books: Institutions, Regulatory Styles, Society and Environmental Governance in China By Carlos Wing-Hung Lo, Shui-Yan Tang (10 Jul 2013)

Institutions, Regulatory Styles, Society and Environmental Governance in China

By Carlos Wing-Hung Lo, Shui-Yan Tang

Published 10th July 2013 by Routledge – 306 pages

Descriptions:

During the past three decades of rapid industrial growth, China has suffered from devastating environmental degradation. Most scholarly and popular publications have painted a rather pessimistic picture about the worrisome trend. Yet a somewhat more optimistic view has emerged in the past decade given the Chinese government’s increased commitment to fighting industrial pollution, the public’s increased concerns regarding the adverse effects of pollution, and domestic and international civil society’s increased involvement in promoting environmental protection in China.

Drawing on the authors’ extensive research on Guangdong Province and a few large cities in other provinces, this book provides an in-depth study on China’s environmental governance and regulatory enforcement in the past two decades. Section 1 examines various institutional constraints for environmental regulation enforcement at the local level and how governance reform efforts in the past decade have contributed to the lessening of those constraints. Section 2 draws on data derived from surveys and interviews conducted in multiple cities and times; it examines the dominant regulatory enforcement styles of local environmental protection bureaus and how these styles vary across different regions and over time. Section 3 examines how various stakeholders—the general public, environmental groups, government entities, and corporations—affect the environmental governance process.

Overall, the book presents a cautiously optimistic view on the evolution of environmental governance in China. While highlighting many political, institutional, social, and economic constraints, it also documents many changes that have taken place—including reform efforts from within the government administrative system, increasingly societal concerns and actions, and changing attitudes among corporate executives—potentially paving the way for more effective environmental governance in the future.

Contents:

1. Institutional Constraints
2. Institutional Reform and Economic Changes
3. Service Organization Reform
4. Enforcement Styles and Effectiveness
5. Enforcement Styles: Regional Variations
6. Enforcement Styles: Changes over Time
7. Environmental Agencies and Public Opinion
8. Public Participation and Environmental Impact Assessment
9. Environmental NGOs
10. Corporate Responses to Stakeholder Pressure
11. Agency Responses to Stakeholder Support and Pressure

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415530385/

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New Books: Climate Change and Sustainable Cities Edited by Hugo Priemus, Simin Davoudi (3 Jul 2013)

Climate Change and Sustainable Cities

Edited by Hugo Priemus, Simin Davoudi

Published 3rd July 2013 by Routledge – 192 pages

Descriptions:

Climate change has demonstrated, perhaps more than any other environmental concerns, the complexities of the human-nature interrelationship and the need for embedding a far greater environmental consciousness into our social values and norms. A drastic reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions requires a transition to low carbon cities. This demands a better understanding of the interactions between social, technical, and spatial processes which constitute cities.

The aim of this book is to explore these interactions and urge urban planners and other built environment professionals to revisit some of their traditional concepts, methods, and ways of thinking about what constitutes a ‘good’ city and according to whose priorities. The book brings together nine contributions ranging from broad overviews to sector-specific analysis, paying particular attention to the role of urban planning. Contributors cover climate change mitigation and adaptation, deal with different scales of analysis ranging from international and European to national and city perspectives, and discuss a range of policy sectors including housing, transport, energy, sea level rise as well as pathways for climate policy implementation. The diversity of the contributions is itself a reflection of the multitude of climate change concerns that preoccupy researchers, policy makers and practitioners.

This book was published as a special issue of European Planning Studies.

Contents:

1. Introduction 
2. Governing Carbon and Climate in the Cities: An Overview of Policy and Planning Challenges and Options 
3. National Climate Change Adaptation Strategies of European States from a Spatial Planning and Development Perspective 
4. Climate Risk and Security: New Meanings of `the Environment` in the English Planning System 
5. Rotterdam: A city and a Mainport on the Edge of a Delta 
6. Improving Sustainability in Urban Areas: Discussing the Potential for Transforming Conventional Car-based Travel into Electric Mobility 
7. Towards Energy-neutral New Housing Developments. Municipal Climate Governance in The Netherlands 
8. Improving Energy Efficiency of Social Housing Areas: A Case Study of a Retrofit Achieving an "A" Energy Performance Rating in the UK 
9. Mediating Low-Carbon Urban Transitions? Forms of Organization, Knowledge and Action 
10. Local Demonstrations for Global Transitions—Dynamics across Governance Levels Fostering Socio-Technical Regime Change Towards Sustainability

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415826969/

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New Books: Local Commons and Democratic Environmental Governance Edited by Takeshi Murota and Ken Takeshita (Mar 2013)

Local Commons and Democratic Environmental Governance
Edited by Takeshi Murota and Ken Takeshita

PUBLICATION DATA: ISBN-13: 978-92-808-1223-7
LANGUAGE: English
PAGES: 440
PUBLISHER:United Nations University Press
PUBLISHED:March 2013

The rising tide of globalization poses a direct threat to the viability of small communities worldwide. Such communities, however, are our greatest hope for sustainable environmental governance, as they possess unparalleled ability to directly manage common-pool resources.

Providing a much-needed antidote in this age of globalization, this volume advances the idea of collaborative governance as an integration of open and closed commons. Taking into consideration the dimension of conflict resolution, it studies examples of governance structures in various countries around the world to develop a new type of democracy towards multilevel environmental governance that involves the public, private and commons spheres.

With contributions from researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, this volume demonstrates through institutional and empirical analyses the essential role of local commons in providing an axis of resistance to increasing environmental devastation and social inequality towards creating a sustainable future for local communities as well as society at large.

About the Editors:

Takeshi Murota is a Professor in the Department of Economics at Doshisha University, Japan.
Ken Takeshita is a Professor in the School of Law at Kansai University, Japan.

Table of Contents:

Part I: Theoretical Studies of the Commons
1 The tragedy of the conceptual expansion of the commons, Yutaka Suga
Eclectic collaborative commons as an integration of closure, and openness, Makoto Inoue
3 Complementary environmental resource policies in the public, commons and private spheres: An analysis of external impacts on the commons, Gaku Mitsumata

Part II: Institution of the Commons
The custom and legal theory of iriai in Japan: A history of the discourse on the position of the rights of common in the modern legal system, Tatsuya Suzuki
The position of fishery commons in the multilevel fishery resource governance in Japan, Takeshi Murota
Fishermen in China’s Taihu Lake Basin and inland freshwater fisheries: Unsettled questions about the nature of rights, Izuru Ota
Cross-scale institutional linkages: A focus on environmental networks in Kuraburi Estuary, Thailand, Shimpei Iwasaki

Part III: Local Commons and Survival Strategies under Globalization
Community sustainability and adaptation to modernization and globalization: Case study of the Lake Biwa region in Japan, Hiroshi Noda
Recreation, easy access and rediscovery? Possibilities and problems of recent footpath projects in Japan, Rui Izumi and Yuichiro Hirano
Multilayered natural resource management in open and closed commons: A case study on the right of access and the state, community and farm commons in Norway, Daisaku Shimada and Takeshi Murota
The governance of local commons and community administration: The hidden potential of the property ward system, Haruo Saito
The dynamics of cross-scale linkages in the context of global commons: Aspects of “resistance” to wildlife conservation in the Maasailands of Kenya, Toshio Meguro
Local governance for groundwater conservation based on voluntary restrictions on the use of common property: A study of utaki in Miyako, Okinawa, Yasuhiro Nakanishi

Part IV: Collaboration, Democracy and Multilevel Environmental Governance
Environmental governance from a public perspective: A reappraisal of state objectives, Ken Takeshita
Forest volunteer activity in Japan, Shinji Yamamoto
Sustainability of local shopping districts as commons: A case study of the revitalization of the shopping district centred around Kurokabe Corporation in Nagahama City, Yoshio Takatsu
Institutional design of watershed committees in Japan, Tomohiko Ohno
Watershed governance and dam construction projects: A case study on the Daido River Dam in the Yodo River Basin, Congmian Jiao

Conclusion
Building common property regimes to deter resource-wrecking, Margaret McKean

For more information:

http://unu.edu/publications/books/local-commons-and-democratic-environmental-governance.html#overview

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New Books: Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development: East Asian Perspectives Edited by Akihisa Mori (Mar 2013)

Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development: East Asian Perspectives
Edited by Akihisa Mori

Publication data: ISBN-13: 978-92-808-1219-0
LANGUAGE: English
PAGES: 400
PUBLISHER: United Nations University Press
PUBLISHED: March 2013

In order to advance sustainable development globally, it is indispensable to change the course and mode of conventional economic growth in the East Asian region, which has enjoyed rapid economic growth but faces environmental challenges.

This volume gives attention to the evolution of multilevel environmental governance in the East Asian region, including both Northeast and Southeast Asia. It examines how effective emerging environmental governance and policy have been and addresses the underlying causes of local, national, regional and global environmental challenges. Topical chapters include democratization and its effect on decision-making processes, international environmental aid, economic analysis of carbon reduction policy, regional and global environmental regimes and subsequent new financial mechanisms, as well as hybrid systems of environmental governance that emphasize the role of the private sector and civil society in contributing to environmental governance.

Special attention is also given to the regional economic and environmental regimes. The volume examines the advantages, challenges and solutions in addressing local, national, regional and global environmental challenges, and in changing the course of economic growth.

About the Editor

Akihisa Mori is an Associate Professor of Global Environmental Economics at Kyoto University, Japan, and the Director and Secretary General of the East Asian Association of Environmental and Resource Economics.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Sustainable development and environmental governance in the East Asian region, Akihisa Mori

Part I: Environmental governance for sustainable development in the East Asian region 
Evolution of environmental governance in the East Asian region: A historical perspective, Akihisa Mori

Part II: Domestic pressures for national environmental governance
Environmental governance for sustainable development in the Republic of Korea: Origins, drivers and dynamics, Hoi Seong Jeong and Taewook Huh
Thailand’s snail’s progress towards good environmental governance, Akihisa Mori
Towards environmentally sustainable transport? The evolution of cost-benefit analysis for road projects in Japan, Shin’ya Koyama
Carbon-energy tax reform in Japan: A simulation analysis, Yoshihisa Inada and Mitsuru Shimoda

Part III: International assistance for local environmental governance 
International aid for wildlife conservation and local sustainable livelihood: The case of Caohai wildlife protection area in, Li-Chun Chen
Environmental aid for the benefit of poor farmers and the environment: GERES’s assistance for improved cooking stoves in Cambodia, Akiko Furuya and Akihisa Mori
CDM and sustainable development in China’s rural areas: The case of methane fermentation systems, Takasei Kusube and Yoshihisa Inada

Part IV: Regional approaches to economic integration and environmental governance 
The impact of globalization on economic, energy and environmental relations in the East Asian region, Akihisa Mori
Environmental and economic impacts of free trade agreements in the East Asian region, Kazuki Taketoshi
Costs and benefits of regional market-based environmental policy: East Asian carbon, Hikari Ban and Kiyoshi Fujikawa
Regional environmental governance in the East Asian region: Collapse or arrested development, Akihisa Mori

Part V: Hybrid systems in environmental governance 
Cross-border diffusion of energy policy in Asia: The case of energy efficiency standards and labeling, Seonghee Kim and Akihisa Mori
Does green supply-chain management enhance environmental management capacity? A case of the machinery industry in Japan and China, Ying Sun, Akihisa Mori, Tetsuhiko Miyadera and Tsuyoshi
Fujita
Non-governmental organizations and environmental policy change in the East Asian region: A case of remedy policy for carbon disulphide poisoning in the rayon industry, Tadashi Hayashi
Effectiveness of multilevel environmental governance in the East Asian region, Akihisa Mori
Appendix: Standard GTAP and GTAP-E model, Hikari Ban and Kiyoshi Fujikawa

For more information:

http://unu.edu/publications/books/environmental-governance-for-sustainable-development-east-asian-perspectives.html#overview

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New Books: The Role of Ecosystems in Disaster Risk Reduction edited by Fabrice G. Renaud, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux and Marisol Estrella (Jun 2013)

The Role of Ecosystems in Disaster Risk Reduction

Edited by Fabrice G. Renaud, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux and Marisol Estrella

PUBLICATION DATA:

ISBN-13: 978-92-808-1221-3

LANGUAGE:

English

PAGES:

440

PRICE:

US$40.00

PUBLISHER:

United Nations University Press

PUBLISHED:

June 2013

The increasing worldwide trend in disasters, which will be aggravated by global environmental
change (including climate change), urges us to implement new approaches to
hazard mitigation, as well as exposure and vulnerability reduction. We are, however, faced
with hard choices about hazard mitigation: should we continue to build dikes and walls
to protect ourselves against floods and coastal hazards – though we have seen the limits
of these – or should we consider alternative, ecosystem-based solutions? Ecosystem
management is a well-tested solution to sustainable development that is being revisited
because of its inherent “win–win” and “no-regrets” appeal to address rising disaster and
climate change issues. It is one of the few approaches that can impact all elements of the
disaster risk equation – mitigating hazards, reducing exposure, reducing vulnerabilities
and increasing the resilience of exposed communities. Yet, the uptake of ecosystem-based
approaches for disaster risk reduction (DRR) is slow despite some very good examples of
success stories. Reasons for this are multiple: ecosystem management is rarely considered
as part of the portfolio of DRR solutions because the environmental and disaster
management communities typically work independently from each other; its contribution
to DRR is highly undervalued compared to engineered solutions and thus not attributed
appropriate budget allocations; finally, there are poor science–policy interactions on
ecosystem-based DRR, which have led to unclear and sometimes contradictory scientific
information on the role of ecosystems in DRR.

The aim of this book is to provide an overview of knowledge and practice in the multidisciplinary
field of ecosystem management and DRR to encourage and further develop
dialogues between scientists, practitioners, policymakers and development planners.

About the Editors:

Fabrice G. Renaud is Head of Section at the United Nations University Institute for
Environment and Human Security, Germany. Karen Sudmeier-Rieux is a Researcher at the
Center for Research of the Terrestrial Environment, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Marisol Estrella is the Programme Coordinator of the Disaster Risk Reduction Unit,
Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch, United Nations Environment Programme,
Switzerland.

Table of Contents:

Part I: Why do ecosystems matter in disaster risk reduction?
The relevance of ecosystems for disaster risk reduction, Fabrice G. Renaud, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux and Marisol Estrella
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR): An overview, Marisol Estrella and Nina Saalismaa

Part II: Ecosystems and coastal disaster risk reduction
Investigating the performance of coastal ecosystems for hazard mitigation, Sam S.L. Hettiarachchi, Saman P. Samarawickrama, Harindra J.S. Fernando, A. Harsha R. Ratnasooriya, N.A. Kithsiri Nandasena and Srimal Bandara
Bioshields: Mangrove ecosystems as resilient natural coastal defences, Carmen Lacambra, Daniel A. Friess, Tom Spencer and Iris Möller
Integrating the role of ecosystems in disaster risk and vulnerability assessments: Lessons from the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Methodology Development Project (RiVAMP) in Negril, Jamaica,
Pascal Peduzzi, Adonis Velegrakis, Marisol Estrella and Bruno Chatenoux
Increasing the resilience of human and natural communities to coastal hazards: Supporting decisions in New York and Connecticut, Michael W. Beck, Ben Gilmer, Zach Ferdaña, George T.
Raber, Christine C. Shepard, Imen Meliane, Jeffrey D. Stone, Adam W. Whelchel, Mark Hoover and Sarah Newkirk
A coastal adaptation strategy for the City of Cape Town: An ecosystem-based management approach towards risk reduction, Darryl Colenbrander, Penny Price, Gregg Oelofse and Sakhile Tsotsobe
Lessons from local initiatives on ecosystem-based climate change work in Tonga, Stavros Mavrogenis and Ilan Kelman

Part III: Water resources management for disaster risk reduction
Good flood, bad flood: Maintaining dynamic river basins for community resilience, Pieter van Eijk, Chris Baker, Romana Gaspirc and Ritesh Kumar
Utilizing integrated water resources management approaches to support disaster risk reduction, James Dalton, Radhika Murti and Alvin Chandra
The matter is not if, but when and where: The role of capacity development in disaster risk reduction aiming for a sustainable water supply and sanitation, Madeleine Fogde, Luis Macario and Kirsten Carey

Part IV: Sustainable land management for disaster risk reduction
12 The role of vegetation cover change in landslide hazard and risk, Maria Papathoma-Koehle and Thomas Glade
Protection forests: A key factor in integrated risk management in the Alps,André Wehrli and Luuk Dorren
Forest cover and landslide trends: A case study from Dolakha District in central-eastern Nepal, 1992–2009, Stéphanie Jaquet, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux, Marc-Henri Derron and Michel Jaboyedoff

Part V: Policy, planning and future perspectives
Reducing vulnerability: The role of protected areas in mitigating natural disasters, Nigel Dudley, Kathy MacKinnon and Sue Stolton
Urban disaster risk reduction and ecosystem services, Lorenzo Guadagno, Yaella Depietri and Urbano Fra Paleo
Applying environmental impact assessments and strategic environmental assessments in disaster management, Anil Kumar Gupta and Sreeja S. Nair
Opportunities, challenges and future perspectives for ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, Marisol Estrella, Fabrice G. Renaud and Karen Sudmeier-Rieux

For more information: 

http://unu.edu/publications/books/the-role-of-ecosystems-in-disaster-risk-reduction.html#overview

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New Books: The Precautionary Principle in Marine Environmental Law With Special Reference to High Risk Vessels By Bénédicte Sage-Fuller (28 Jun 2013)

The Precautionary Principle in Marine Environmental Law

With Special Reference to High Risk Vessels

By Bénédicte Sage-Fuller

Published 28th June 2013 by Routledge – 306 pages

Descriptions:

The book examines whether the jurisdiction of coastal States under international law can be extended to include powers of intervention towards vessels posing a significant risk to their coastal and marine environment, but which have not yet been involved in any incident or accident. The books sets out how it is that coastal State jurisdiction can indeed be seen as including powers of intervention towards High Risks Vessels before an incident or accident happens, on the basis of the precautionary principle. The precautionary principle requires taking action when a risk of damage to the environment is suspected, but cannot be confirmed scientifically.The book thus considers the potential opportunities for the coastal state under international law to regulate international shipping where they consider vessels to an unacceptable risk to the environment, in order to prevent or minimise the risk of occurrence of the accident or incident leading to damage. The book acknowledges that this puts into question some very old and established principles of the law of the sea, most importantly the principle of freedom of navigation. But Bénédicte Sage-Fuller contends that this change would itself be a consequence of the evolution, since the end of WWII, of on the one hand international law of the sea itself, and of international environmental law on the other hand.

Contents:

1. High Risk Vessels
2. Coastal States’ Jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
3. Significance of the Precautionary Principle in Marine Law
4. Practical Applications of the Precautionary Principle in Marine Protection Law
5. Application of the Precautionary Principle and Vessel-source Pollution

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415671910/

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New Books: A Changing Environment for Human Security Transformative Approaches to Research, Policy and Action Edited by Linda Sygna, Karen O'Brien, Johanna Wolf (14 Jun 2013)

A Changing Environment for Human Security

Transformative Approaches to Research, Policy and Action

Edited by Linda Sygna, Karen O'Brien, Johanna Wolf

Descriptions:

Environmental change presents a new context and new opportunities for transformational change. This timely book will inspire new ways of understanding the relationship between environmental change and human security. A Changing Environment for Human Security: Transformative Approaches to Research, Policy and Action both supports and informs a call for new, transformative approaches to research, policy and action. The chapters in this book include critical analyses, case studies and reflections on contemporary environmental and social challenges, with a strong emphasis on those related to climate change. Human thoughts and actions have contributed to an environment of insecurity, manifested as multiple interacting threats that now represent a serious challenge to humanity. Yet humans also have the capacity to collectively transform the economic, political, social and cultural systems and structures that perpetuate human insecurities.

These fresh perspectives on global environmental change from an interdisciplinary group of international experts will inspire readers – whether students, researchers, policy makers, or practitioners – to think differently about environmental issues and sustainability. The contributions show that in a changing environment, human security is not only a possibility, but a choice.

Contents:

Part 1: Reality Check 

Part 2: Breakthrough Conditions

Part 3: Transformations: Past and Future

For more information: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781849713023/

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