Catalyst Brochure - CATALYST project (EU)

Capacity development for hazard risk
reduction and adaptation
October 2011 - September 2013
CATALYST
Funded by: the European Union Seventh Framework Programme
(FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 283177
Duration: October 2011 - September 2013
Coordinator: seeconsult GmbH, Germany
Contact: Matt Hare, seeconsult GmbH
email: info@catalyst-project.eu
website: www.catalyst-project.eu
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Why CATALYST?
Living with risk
Each year, natural disasters wreak havoc across the
globe, uprooting the lives and disrupting the livelihoods of millions of people in rich and poor countries
alike. In 2010, floods, droughts, tornados, tsunamis,
earthquakes and landslides caused nearly 300,000
deaths and more than €70 billion in damages worldwide.
Thanks to dedicated research and enlightened policies, a growing number of countries and communities
have strengthened their capacities for natural hazard
and disaster risk reduction and adaptation. Yet, only
limited steps have been taken to integrate this knowledge into overall development, planning and environmental policies and practices.
Natural disasters are on the rise, not only due to growing populations and increasing urbanisation, but also
due to environmental challenges such as climate
change.
A key challenge is to narrow the divide between
researchers’ and practitioners’ understanding of natural hazards and disaster risk and the prevailing forces
driving economic development that have made disaster risk reduction and adaptation a low priority among
policy makers and development experts.
We may not be able to prevent natural disasters happening, but we do have the capabilities to reduce the
risks that natural disasters pose to lives and property.
More importantly, we can take effective measures to
mitigate and adapt to the impacts of disasters.
Who is Catalyst for?
Catalyst brings together existing networks of re­­
searchers, policy and decision makers, members of
nongovernmental organisations, and small- and
medium-sized enterprises to identify and share
information about best practices and critical knowledge gaps.
Bridging gaps
Reducing risk together
CATALYST is designed to create a wide range of
opportunities for existing networks of researchers,
policy and decision makers, members of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), and small- and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) to identify and share knowledge about best practices related to natural hazards
and disaster risk reduction and adaptation.
The ultimate goal is to bring knowledge of risk management to bear on issues such as water resources
management, land use planning and economic development. Natural hazard and disaster risk reduction
and adaptation should then become critical components of the sustainablity agenda.
Catalyst regional focus
European
Mediterranean
Central America
and Caribbean
South
Asia
West Africa
East Africa
South-East
Asia
Capacity cycle
ne
ss
R e sp on s e
decide
under pressure,
protect the
vulnerable
plan in advance,
learn
to anticipate
Capacity
development
Re c o ver y
Project members seek to:
• Facilitate knowledge exchange and strengthen the
science-policy interface
• Add value to the existing body of knowledge on natural hazard and disaster risk reduction and adaptation
• Identify critical gaps in current natural hazard and
disaster risk reduction and adaptation knowledge
and research
• Reinforce networking capacity worldwide
• Strengthen the capacity of governments, NGOs and
SMEs to integrate natural hazard and disaster risk
reduction and adaptation practices into their policies, plans and programmes
•Disseminate project findings in ways that help
bridge the gap between the scientific and policy
communities.
re d
Specifically, CATALYST focuses on climatic hazards
(cyclones, droughts, heat waves and floods) as well as
tectonic hazards (earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides).
Key outputs include:
• Global and regional think tanks for researchers and
practitioners
•Regional workshops and virtual meetings focusing on
East and West Africa, South and South-East Asia,
Central America and the Caribbean and the European Mediterranean
• Creation of an interactive website including an online
forum for knowledge and information exchange
•Development of web-based archives comprised of
best practices and case studies
• Publication of policy briefs and a best-practices handbook.
P repa
CATALYST does not seek to create new knowledge.
Rather, it explores ways to more effectively assemble,
analyse and use the rapidly expanding knowledge
base in this growing field of study.
assess risk,
St
acknowledge uncertainty,
op
ha
za
rd
learn how
to protect
s fr
om
Mit
t u r n i n g i nt o d i s a s t e
igation
rs
invest wisely,
know who
needs help
Sharing knowledge
Finding common ground
A core activity of CATALYST is to convene researchers, practitioners and policy makers in a think tank
designed to facilitate face-to-face and virtual ex­­
changes on best practices involving natural hazard
and disaster risk reduction and adaptation. CATALYST
seeks to foster discussions on such issues as information and data gaps, methodological limitations, and
the disconnect that often exists between the research
and policy communities.
The think tank is an opportunity for CATALYST’s
diverse group of participants to share information
and experiences.
Goals in brief
The goal of CATALYST is to improve, globally, capacity development in disaster risk reduction in
response to natural hazards, using adaptive management and integrative approaches and focusing on
social vulnerability, integrated risk assessment and
the full-spectrum of risk reduction practices (prevention, relief, rehabilitation and development).
Outcomes
To prepare and adapt more effectively to hazards and
disasters through:
• Strengthened stakeholder networks
• Improved policies and practices
• Improved capacity of government agencies, NGOs
and SMEs.
The web archive and online information exchange
will include a wide range of materials related to the
project and ensure that this is made available to as
wide an audience as possible.
At the conclusion of the project, the website and
archive will be transferred to a public-sector organization or an SME involved in natural hazard and disaster risk reduction and adaptation to ensure that the
project continues to foster information exchange and
networking activities beyond its duration.
Partners
Seeconsult GmbH
Project Coordinator
Osnabrück, Germany
www.seeconsult.org
Contact: Matt Hare
matt.hare@seeconsult.org / +49 541 760 2828 11
Alterra
Wageningen, The Netherlands
www.alterra.wur.nl
Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM)
Milan, Italy
www.feem.it
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Department of Hydrology
Copenhagen, Denmark
www.geus.dk
Hemholtz Zentrum für Umweltforschung (UFZ)
Department of Urban Environmental Sociology
Leipzig, Germany
www.ufz.de
United Nations University
Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)
Bonn, Germany
www.ehs.unu.edu
TWAS
the academy of sciences for the developing world
Trieste, Italy
www.twas.org
www.catalyst-project.eu
a project funded by the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme FP7
Design: Studio Link, Trieste – Printing: Stella, Trieste – Photo credits:
p. 1 Karim Aoudia; Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/
GSFC; Wikipedia/FEMA News Photo; p. 2 Justin1569 at en.wikipedia; Karim Aoudia; Wikipedia/David Rydevik; Wikipedia/DVIDSHUB; p. 7 Flickr/
Nashville Corps; Flickr/DFID Rafiqur Rahman Raqu; Wikipedia/Gossipguy; p. 8 Morguefile/hotblack; Morguefile/Tahoe1231; Wikipedia/AnTic