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Lead Research Organisation: Durham University, Department of Geography.
Overview:
Earthquakes pose significant threats to lives, livelihoods, and economic development in China. Over the last century, earthquakes have clmed at least 650,000 lives worldwide with approximately two-thirds occurring within the Chinese borders. Major disasters such as the devastating 2008 Wenchuan earthquake underscored the urgency of disaster risk reduction efforts in this region, particularly given the potential for future catastrophic losses.
Community engagement plays a pivotal role in disaster preparedness and planning. In response to immediate post-earthquake scenarios where communities often find themselves isolated from external resources and assistance, local knowledge becomes indispensable. This is especially pertinent in remote or mountnous areas like northwest China. The Chinese government's recent initiative of establishing thousands of 'demonstration communities' with minimal disaster preparation standards highlights the growing recognition of community-based disaster risk reduction CBDRR.
Our research support this program by bridging local community practices with scientific knowledge about earthquake hazards, including secondary phenomena such as landslides. We will assess the current state of CBDRR in China agnst global best practices and generate insights on enhancing awareness sharing across communities.
The CEA, responsible for evaluating earthquake risks in China, benefits from our project through improved understanding of landslide impacts on seismic activity. The knowledge acquired will be instrumental in exting this research to other earthquake-prone regions beyond the pilot study areas.
At a local level, we m to catalyze improvements in earthquake preparedness within our selected case-study communities by identifying effective strategies that can be scaled-up or replicated elsewhere. We emphasize community transferrable elements while also drawing on international best practices in disaster risk reduction and awareness enhancement.
Key deliverables include:
Workshops with Chinese Government Agencies - PI Fan will convene meetings with key officials from the China National Disaster Reduction Committee and the National Disaster Reduction Center within the Ministry of Civil Affrs MoCA, facilitating knowledge exchange on CBDRR guidelines, reporting requirements under the S Framework for DRR, and best practices.
CEA Collaboration - Collaborations will be established between Zhang Peizhen and Su Guiwu from China Earthquake Administration and PI Densmore to ensure a comprehensive understanding of both earthquake hazard assessment techniques and landslide characteristics pertinent to disaster resilience.
International Knowledge Exchange - Through the European-Wide Framework EwF, which encompasses over a dozen earthquake-prone countries in Eurasia, we will foster discussions between MoCA officials and partners from the Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium, Bihar State Disaster Management Authority India, and Kazakhstan Red Crescent Society to share expertise on creating disaster-resilient communities.
Publications Dissemination - Quick-turnaround reports summarizing CBDRR in China, strategies for enhancing awareness sharing among diverse community groups, and guidelines aligned with the S Framework will be developed for dissemination through these platforms.
The project's funded value stands at ￡373,070, spread across a 26-month period. The research outcomes are anticipated to have profound impacts on disaster preparedness strategies in China and beyond, facilitating a more robust response to seismic hazards through the integration of local wisdom with scientific understanding.
For more information or inquiries about this project, please contact:
UKRI Gateway
Polaris House
Swindon SN2 1ET
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China Earthquake Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies Integrating Local Scientific Knowledge Practices Community Based Preparedness for Earthquakes Chinese Governments Demonstration Communities Program Seismic Awareness Sharing Across Regions International Collaboration on Disaster Resilience Efforts