Hazardous Environments

Paper 3
Advanced Physical Geography Options 1 hour 30 minutes
Candidates answer questions on two of the optional topics.
Each topic consists of one structured question (10 marks) and a
choice of essay questions (20 marks).
60 marks
– 25% of the total A level qualification.

9.4 Sustainable Management of Hazardous Environments

Erosion and Sediment Control

The pdf below provides you with a case study from Malaysia about sustainable management of erosion and sediment control. Put this information into bullet point form to help you learn some facts that you can use in an exam question.

The Sustainable livelihoods approach for volcano-related opportunities

This may be your first experience of reading and taking information from a full academic journal article. This is the kind of article you will be working with at university so it’s really good practice. Read. Re-read. Highlight some key points that you can use in 20 mark questions for this topic.

Complete the table below with information for each idea:

Option for dealing with environmental hazards	Main implications
Do nothing
Protect society from hazards
Avoid hazards
Live with the hazards and risks

Sustainable livelihoods can be defined as creating and maintaining means of individual and community living that are flexible, safe and healthy from one generation to the next. The sustainable livelihoods approach is important in its application to volcanic scenarios in 4 ways:

1. Understanding, communicating and managing vulnerability and risk and local perceptions of vulnerability and risk beyond immediate threats to life
2. Maximising the benefits to communities of their volcanic environment, especially during quiescent periods, without increasing vulnerability
3. Managing crises
4. Managing reconstruction and resettlement after crises.

Applying the sustainable livelihoods approach:

Managing vulnerability and risk

Thinking ahead of the event ensures that

1. local livelihoods are preserved, meaning that the population has an easier post-disaster recover except in cases of extreme destruction
2. the affected population is confident that their livelihoods will remain, so they will be more willing to shelter and evacuate without putting their lives at risk for the sake of livelihoods.

Example include attempts to prevent lava blocking Heimaey’s harbour and balancing ski access to Ruapehu during active volcanic episodes, especially in light of continuing lahar threat.

In these instances, it was decided that saving only lives without considering livelihoods was unacceptable. Risk and vulnerability have been managed to achieve a balance between lives and livelihoods: living with volcanic risk.

Maximising community benefits sustainability

The second application is maximising the benefits to the communities of their volcanic environment, especially during quiescent periods, while decreasing vulnerability. The livelihood benefits of volcanoes can be placed into three main categories; physical resources (eg mining), energy resources (eg. heat) and social resources (eg. tourism).

Volcanoes play an important role in the formation of precious metal ores. However, if the volcano’s activity increases, the mining resources, equipment and expected income could be jeopardised. The 2006 eruption of a ‘mud’ volcano in eastern Java, which was highly destructive to local livelihoods, resulted from borehole drilling.

Managing Crises

The third application is managing crises. Emergency response and humanitarian relief are adopting the sustainable livelihoods approach, such as for the sectors of transitional settlement and shelter and food security.

Managing reconstruction and resettlement

The fourth application is managing reconstruction and/or resettlement after a volcanic crisis. Montserrat provides a good example. Resettlement in the island’s north, away from the most dangerous zones due to volcanic activity, included housing construction that was completed without sufficient attention to local culture, other hazards or livelihoods. The resettlement saved lives, but did not adopt a local approach to living with risk. Long-term problems emerged that the sustainable livelihoods approach might have prevented.

Disadvantages

Volcano-related evacuations have sometimes forced people to choose between staying in poorly managed shelters with no livelihood prospects and returning home to their livelihoods despite a high risk of injury or death from the volcano. This issue occurred in Montserrat, exacerbated by economic structures that encouraged farming in the exclusion zone.

Use this case study and information to write a response to the following question:

How could the sustainable livelihoods approach be used to reduce the impacts on lives, property and the economy in Montserrat?