Coping with landslide risk through preventive resettlement. Designing optimal strategies through choice experiments for the Mount Elgon region, Uganda

Abstract

Landslides are a widespread phenomenon in the East African highlands, significantly reducing agricultural productivity and affecting rural income generating activities. In addition, the livelihoods of the poorest are most likely to be adversely affected by landslides. Traditionally, landslide risk is reduced by means of effective planning and management. However, in many regions, these measures are incapable to offer a long-term solution because of high population density and land shortage. Therefore, our paper uses a choice experiment to investigate whether preventive resettlement could be a feasible disaster risk reduction strategy for the population at risk in agricultural areas in Bududa district, East Uganda. Our study provides the first analysis of resettlement related preferences of people that are affected by environmental degradation. Our results enable us to assess community support for resettlement strategies ex ante and give valuable policy advice for future resettlement plans in a very cost-effective manner.

Building Resilience to Chronic Landslide Hazard Through Citizen Science

“…At the same time, the recurrent and unremitting nature of chronically occurring hazards presents an unparalleled opportunity for community-level experimentation and learning (Hermelin and Bedoya, 2008;Lacasse and Nadim, 2009). Contrary to acute landslides which tend to result in largescale resettlement schemes (Vlaeminck et al, 2016), populations exposed to chronic landslide hazard often continue living in the risk zones and applying a range of mitigation and adaptation strategies (Glade and Crozier, 2005;Gentle and Maraseni, 2012;Sudmeier-Rieux et al, 2012;Vaciago, 2013). For this reason, we believe that certain forms of citizen science -the process of knowledge co-generation by societal actors and scientistshas the potential to leverage these local capacities, improving community resilience.…”

Stories from the frontlines: decolonising social contracts for disasters

“…Moreover, the plan declared the waterfront—an ancestral home of indigenous Sama people—a ‘no‐build zone' . Through a ‘pre‐emptive resettlement’ approach, the declaration mandated relocating people to manage risk and hazards in post‐disaster reconstruction work (Correa, ; Blanco, , Ferris, ; Carrasco, Ochia, and Okazaki, , ; Vlaminck et al, ; Tadgell, Mortsch, and Doberstein, ).…”

Barriers or enablers? Chiefs, elite capture, disasters, and resettlement in rural Malawi

“…Resettlement often is considered as a measure of last resort when it comes to CCA and DRR, when staying poses more of a risk than moving, and where there are no alternative mitigation or adaptation steps (Correa, Ramirez, and Sanahuja, 2011;de Sherbinin et al, 2011;Vlaeminck et al, 2016). People can be resettled because they have been displaced by the direct ramifications of climate change, or as a preventive measure in areas at risk of a disaster.…”