Faculty of Geography Universitas Gadjah Mada has long been involved in Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR). The idea of maintaining collaboration within the Eco-DRR is no longer an option but mandatory since the 2015 Sendai Framework and the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2015) that primarily encourage individual countries to monitor disaster risk reduction and sustainable development performance. The importance of Eco-DRR acquires more attention because alternative solutions to disaster management should not be limited to human resource management in emergency situations, but also need to be extended to natural resource management.
Together with other university partners from different countries, the Faculty of Geography has been working on developing the Eco-DRR concept in recent years, on 2013 we conducted EcoDRR in Semarang, 2014 in Sayung Demak, and 2015 in Yogyakarta. Last year, 2016, we conducted EcoDRR Summer Course in Jakarta/Bogor and Yogyakarta. In 2017, we conduct the Summer Course on EcoDRR in the Tropics in Yogyakarta, focusing on the concepts and praxis of EcoDRR in Yogyakarta by dint of its unique physical condition and cultural richness. Covering an area of approximately 3000 kilometer squares, Yogyakarta is formed by a volcanic process in the north, a denudational process in the west, a solusional process in the Southeast, marine processes along the south, middle fluvial processes and structural processes in the south and southeast. The physical condition in Yogyakarta has potential as a source of different natural disasters in certain areas, in addition to the heterogeneous forms of ecosystems. Yogyakarta’s cultural wealth forms a strong social condition of society, which plays an important role in ecosystem management, related to disaster risk reduction. Thus it will be very interesting to see the heterogeneous EcoDRR practice in every area of Yogyakarta.
There are 37 participants from 14 different countries: Austria, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Sweden, Morocco, Yemen, and Indonesia. The 2017 Summer Course EcoDRR in the Tropics will involve 28 experts from 7 countries (Japan, France, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Ireland and Indonesia). Some institutions participating this event are International Association of Geomorphologist (IAG), STMKG (School of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics), LIPI (Indonesian Institute of Science), BNPB (National Agency of Disaster Management), BPBD DIY (Yogyakarta Special Region Agency of Disaster Management), E-Pujiono Learning Center/UN ESCAP, Department of Agriculture Brebes Regency, Laboratoire de Géographie Physique Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne France, Chiba University Japan, University Putra Malaysia, University of Technology MARA Malaysia, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi Thailand, University College Dublin Ireland.
Prof. Dr. Muh Aris Marfai, M.Sc as The Dean of Geography Faculty, Universitas Gadjah Mada, said the Summer Short Course was expected to be a forum for the students to exchange information and experience on EcoDRR through various formats, such as class discussion, field activities, and short practicum. “This programme allows a dialogue between academics, decision makers, and practitioners related to EcoDRR,” said Aris Marfai on Monday (14/8). Aris Marfai added the concept of EcoDRR pays attention to optimalisation of environment benefits through monitoring human intervention on the environment regularly in order to minimise the increase in disaster risk. “Our challenges in the future is to give room to integration of disaster risk reduction planning so that this would go along with the sustainable environment management,” he said.
“Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is the sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems to reduce disaster risk, with the aim to achieve sustainable and resilient development. Well-managed ecosystems, such as wetlands, forests and coastal systems, act as natural infrastructure, reducing physical exposure to many hazards and increasing socio-economic resilience of people and communities by sustaining local livelihoods and providing essential natural resources such as food, water and building materials” said Dr. Dyah Rahmawati Hizbaron, M.Sc., M.T, as Coordinator Summer Course Program. “Ecosystem management not only offers an opportunity to strengthen natural infrastructure and human resilience against hazard impacts, but also generates a range of other social, economic and environmental benefits for multiple stakeholders, which in turn feed back into reduced risk” She added.
Several course material on Summer Course Eco-DRR 2017 will be delivered on tutorial and fieldwork program, such as Develop an understanding of issues and problems related to hazards and disaster in Indonesia, especially Yogyakarta; Develop an understanding of Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction praxis in Indonesia and its challenges while “living with hazards, dealing with disasters”; Establish research designs related Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction; and Enlarge and strengthen sustainable scientific network in disaster management: Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR). The Summer Short Course was expected to be a forum for the students to exchange information and experience on EcoDRR through various formats, such as class discussion, field activities, and short practicum. This programme allows a dialogue between academics, decision makers, and practitioners related to EcoDRR. The concept of EcoDRR pays attention to optimalisation of environment benefits through monitoring human intervention on the environment regularly in order to minimise the increase in disaster risk. Our challenges in the future is to give room to integration of disaster risk reduction planning so that this would go along with the sustainable environment management.