TXT-tool 4.052-1.2: Landslide Risk Communication

Abstract

Risk communication is a central key for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM). While a number of strategies of risk communication are focused on confronting and responding to disaster events, there is an increasing need to establish schemes or initiatives dealing with prevention and disaster risk reduction. In this paper, the significance of effective landslide risk communication is highlighted by looking at four specific elements. On one hand, it is argued that risk perception analysis should be a requirement for any strategy to communicate risk, as awareness, preparedness, knowledge, experience, trust, and other multi-factorial aspects of social, economic, cultural, political and institutional character influence decision-making and behavior at both individual and collective levels. On the other, and in addition to the particular targets specified by each program or initiative, understanding disaster risk should be a baseline for shaping any tactic or approach aiming at communicating risk. Likewise, regardless of the structure, the specific purposes and means selected for risk communication, a critical and intentional line of information exchange and knowledge sharing should be permanently offered to favor a social and institutional behavior on which avoidance of the creation of new risks is an imperative. Finally, the idea of incorporating an observer or advisor into the risk communication process to foresee potential obstacles or requirements associated with the appropriate understanding of disaster risk, and the need to avoid the construction of new risks, in addition to other particular objectives linked to the specific scheme per se, is also pointed out.