Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Elements to Enhance Private Sector Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction in Central America

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Disaster Management and Private Sectors

Part of the book series: Disaster Risk Reduction ((DRR))

  • 1178 Accesses

Abstract

Private sector plays an important role in disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Central America. The countries have already incorporated private sector DRR promotion in their respective national policy instruments. Despite this promotion by the national policy framework, progress in the private sector’s DRR engagement has seen limited success in the region. The aim of this article is to discuss the elements that may enhance private sector DRR engagement. Interviews were conducted in Costa Rica, focused on two important private sectors of the country: agriculture and tourism. The study found that private entities in Costa Rica have recently started implementing some DRR related activities. Analyzing the reason for these recent activities in the country, this study finally found that the majority of the interviewees were more concerned about the impacts of climate change rather than disaster risk. Finally, this study found three elements that may enhance the private sector’s engagement in DRR.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    This chapter considers Central America as a group of six countries: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, on the basis of their geographical, cultural, historical, and geopolitical backgrounds.

  2. 2.

    This article defines PPP by applying the UNISDR (2008) definition; a public organizational or institutional environment that should encourage the private sector to foster a DRR culture.

References

  • Aguirre J.A. (2008) Midiendo el impacto económico del gasto turístico de los visitantes a los parques nacionales de Costa Rica [Measuring the economic impact of tourism spending by visitors to the national parks of Costa Rica]. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, Vol. 6, no 1 pp. 11–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • CEPREDENAC (Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de los Desastres Naturales en América Central) (2011) Regional progress report on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (2009–2011). http://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/progress/reports/

  • COMEX (Ministerio de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica) (2014) Estadisticas [Statistics]. http://www.comex.go.cr/estadisticas/

  • Comfort L, B Wisner, S. Cutter, R. Pulwarty, K. Hewltt, A. Oliver-Smith, J. Wiener, M. Fordham, W. Peacock & F. Krimgold (1999) Reframing disaster policy: the global evolution of vulnerable communities. Environmental hazards, Volume 1, issue 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • DesInventar. (2013) The Disaster Information Management Database. Desinventar. Retrieved in July 29, 2014 from http://www.desinventar.net/.

  • EM-DAT (Emergencies Disasters Data Base) (2014) The international disaster database. Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED).Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain, Belgium, www.emdat.be/Database/.

  • Honey Martha (2008) Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, 2nd edition. Island Press, Washington, DC., 551pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hori, T. and Shaw, R. (2012) Profile of Community-Based Disaster Risk Management in Central America. In Shaw, R. (ed.) Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 277–300.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hori, T. and Shaw, R. (2013) Global Climate Change Perception, Local Risk Awareness, and Community Disaster Risk Reduction: A Case Study of Cartago City, Costa Rica. Risk, Hazards &Crisis in Public Policy, 3 (4), pp. 77–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2008) Indicators of Disaster Risk and Risk Management, Summary Report. Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, D.C., USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2010a) Indicators of disaster risk and risk management, Costa Rica. Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, D.C., USA. 43pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2010b) Indicators of disaster risk and risk management, El Salvador. Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, D.C., USA. 56pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2010c) Indicators of disaster risk and risk management, Guatemala. Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, D.C., USA. 58pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2010d) Indicators of disaster risk and risk management, Honduras. Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, D.C., USA. 67pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2010e) Indicators of disaster risk and risk management, Nicaragua. Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, D.C., USA. 39pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) (2010f) Indicators of disaster risk and risk management, Panama. Inter-American Development Bank. Washington, D.C., USA. 41pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kunreuther Howard (2001) Incentives for mitigation investment and more effective risk management: the need for public–private partnerships. J Hazard Mater, Volume 86, Issues 1–3, pp. 171–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Nación (2006) Disminuyó el Ingreso de Turistas en el 2006 [Tourist income decreased in 2006]. Edition December 22, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lal, P.N., T. Mitchell, P. Aldunce, H. Auld, R. Mechler, A. Miyan, L.E. Romano, and S. Zakaria (2012) National systems for managing the risks from climate extremes and disasters. In: Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation [Field, C.B., V. Barros, T.F. Stocker, D. Qin, D.J. Dokken, K.L. Ebi, M.D. Mastrandrea, K.J. Mach, G.-K. Plattner, S.K. Allen, M. Tignor, and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. A Special Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, and New York, NY, USA, pp. 339–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavell A. (1993) Prevención y Mitigación de Desastres en Centroamerica y Panama: Una tarea pendiente [Prevention and Mitigation of Disasters in Central America and Panama: An unfinished task]. In La Red (ed.) Desastres y Sociedad Julio-Diciembre 1993, http://www.desenredando.org, pp. 16–35.

  • Lavell A. (2005) Desastres y Desarrollo: Hacia un Entendimiento de las Formas de Construcción Social de un Desastre: El Caso del Huracán Mitch en Centroamérica [Disasters and Development: Towards an Understanding of Forms of Social Construction of Disaster: The Case of Hurricane Mitch in Central America]. In Fernandez, A. (ed.) COMARCAS VULNERABLES: RIESGOS Y DESASTRES NATURALES EN CENTROAMÉRICA Y EL CARIBE, Buenos Aires, Argentina, CRIES, pp. 11–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linnerooth-Bayer J. and Mechler R. (2007) Disaster safety nets for developing countries: Extending public–private partnerships. Environmental Hazards, Volume 7, Issue 1, pp. 54–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mechler R. (2005) Cost-Benefit Analysis of Natural Disaster Risk Management in Development Countries. Manual, GTZ, Bonn, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • MIDEPLAN (MINISTERIO DE PLANIFICACION NACIONAL Y POLITICA ECONOMICA) (2013) INFORME Sistematización de la Información de Impacto de los Fenómenos Naturales en Costa Rica, Período 2005–2011 [Systematization of Impact of Natural Phenomena Information in Costa Rica, Period 2005–2011]. San Jose, Costa Rica, 148pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moench, M., R. Mecheler and S. Stapleton (2007) Guidance note on the cost and benefits of disaster risk reduction. ISDR Global Platform on Disaster Risk High Level Dialogue, June 4-7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roeth, H. (2009) The Development of a Public Partnership Framework and Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Bangkok, Thailand.

    Google Scholar 

  • Serrano, S. J. (2007) Vulnerabilidad, pobreza y desastres “socioculturales” en Centroamérica y El Caribe [Vulnerability, poverty and socio-natural disasters in Central America and The Caribbean]. Informes de la Construcción, Vol. 59, pp. 29–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, R. (2006) Community-based climate change adaptation in Vietnam: inter-linkages of environment, disaster and human security. Multiple Dimension of Global Environmental Changes, TERI publication, pp. 521–547.

    Google Scholar 

  • SIECA (Secretaria de Integracion Economica Centroamericana). 2013. Informe Anual de Comercio Exterior Centroamericano 2012 [2012 Central American Foreign Trade Annual Report]. http://www.sieca.int/

  • Subbiah AR. (2002) Establishing common ground to bring together disaster reduction and climate change communities-Challenges and opportunities. A Climate Risk Management Approach to Disaster Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change. UNDP, pp. 118–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) (2005) Hyogo Framework for Action. Geneva, Swiss.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) (2008) Private Sector Activities in Disaster Risk Reduction – Good Practices and Lessons Learned. Bonn, Germany, 80pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) (2009a) National Progress Report 2007-2009: Costa Rica. Retrieved in March 8, 2012 from http://www.preventionweb.net/english/countries/americas/csr/

  • UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) (2009b) Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland. unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng.htm.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) (2014) Análisis del impactos de las inversiones en prevención y reducción de riesgos: Obras de control de inundaciones [Analysis of the impact of investments in prevention and risk reduction: Flood Control Works]. Secretaria de Hacienda y Credito Publido de Mexico, Retrieved in July 18, 2014 from http://eird.org/pr14/panelistas/Inversion-Publica.pdf

  • World Bank (2005) Natural Disaster Hotspots. World Bank, Washington D.C., USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2009) Country Note on Climate Change Aspects in Agriculture. http://www.worldbank.org/lacagccnotes.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infrastructure Department, Inter-American Development Bank, 1300 New York Ave. N.W., Washington, DC, 20577, USA

    Tsuneki Hori

Authors
  1. Tsuneki Hori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tsuneki Hori .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS), Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

    Takako Izumi

  2. Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

    Rajib Shaw

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Japan

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hori, T. (2015). Elements to Enhance Private Sector Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction in Central America. In: Izumi, T., Shaw, R. (eds) Disaster Management and Private Sectors. Disaster Risk Reduction. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55414-1_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation