Integrated Adaptive Management of Seismic Risks in the To-Nankai Region

As of January 2006 the RMS program has changed to the Risk and Vulnerability program.

Modern seismology forecasts a powerful earthquake (Richter scale 8.0 or more) with a 95 percent probability in the next 50 years along the south-central coast of Honshu island and parts of Shikoku island, what is known as the To-Nankai region of Japan. The 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake showed the vulnerability of old wooden houses, and almost 80 percent of the deaths were due to these structures. Therefore, upgrading the wooden housing stock in the exposed area and earthquake proofing the interiors (fastening furniture to the floors and walls) is a high priority.

Moving from scientific knowledge to implementation is the challenge for the ToNankai project, and the research team will involve the local NGOs and other stakeholders in communicating seismic risks and implementing effective and cost efficient policies. This is part of RMS's concept of Integrated Disaster Management, which combines stakeholder processes that respect the plural perspectives set out by cultural theorists (as applied in the Tisza Project) and adaptive management. These two approaches are being combined in a joint project with Kyoto University to develop and test a participatory approach for mitigating flood and earthquake risks in the To-Nankai area. The focus will be on actions households can take for reducing their risks.

The partners in this project include the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, the Sociology of Organization & Management Department, University of Lodz, the Institute of Physics,Technical University of Wroclaw, Nagoya Institute of Technology, and the Security Stockyard, NGO, Nagoya, Japan.

For more information, contact Joanne Linnerooth-Bayer

Responsible for this page: Karolina Werner
Last updated: 02 Jan 2006