The project was “a pilot study that aims to establish science-based evidence for better integration of volcanic risk in national Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programmes”. The project was jointly undertaken with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) and looks at thirty-one countries, termed “Track II” countries that are low or middle-income countries prone to natural disasters or with adverse geo-economic settings.
The Track II countries are predominantly located in the tropics; across Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Micronesia. Sixteen of these countries have volcanoes located within them and are termed “Category A” countries. Methods for hazard, population exposure and risk assessment have been devised and applied to the Category A countries. Further, the ability of each Category A country to monitor their volcanoes and to cope with potential disasters they may create have been analysed. These hazard, risk and coping capacity evaluations have been used in combination to make recommendations for action, stressing the importance of a proactive approach to risk management.
People involved in this project include: Professor Willy Aspinall, Melanie Auker, Dr Sian Crosweller, Dr Thea Hincks, Dr Sue Mahony, Jenny Pooley, Professor Steve Sparks.