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Accueil CUEBC Local Knowledge and Media to Fight Natural Disasters (LoKMeFiND)
CUEBC Ravello, Italy
European University Centre for Cultural Heritage
Italy

Local Knowledge and Media to Fight Natural Disasters (LoKMeFiND)

Period2018 - 2019
Partners
Coordinator centre : European University Centre for Cultural Heritage
Partners centres : Centre for Scientific and Technical Research on Arid Regions Omar El Bernaoui
 
 

Project background

Following a natural disaster, very often the media report that the local population was well aware of the risks and danger areas, but that nothing had been done.
The existence of such Local Knowledge (LK) is of little interest to the media before a disaster; it only becomes “newsworthy” after the event. Since maintenance of the territory does not grab the headlines, it is not a priority on the policy-makers’ agenda.
This results in a vicious circle and, for example, heavy rainfall – which is merely an exceptional event – turns into a disaster.
Furthermore, the people’s perception of danger is not always based on scientific fact.  It is therefore essential for it to be filtered by means of evaluations by experts so that LK can be capitalised upon and become a genuine and effective means of preventing natural disasters.
However, as the experts need to be remunerated, the provision of platforms for the urgent dissemination of LK would not be profitable for the media.  Yet, it would undoubtedly be a public service.
Action to define the means whereby the media could reserve weekly platforms (for example “Protect your territory” pages) for the urgent publication of LK on local risks could prompt decision-makers to attach priority to maintenance of the territory and, consequently, to prevent natural disasters, or at least reduce their impact.
Such action ties in with all the priorities of the EUR-OPA programme and with the current policies of the major international organisations (“Cultural Heritage and Local Knowledge for Building Resilience”, UN Global Platform, Cancun 2017; Mobilising local knowledge for climate change observations and solutions, UNESCO Experts Conference, Georgetown, September 2017).
Expected results

Expected results year 1

European University Centre for Cultural Heritage - Italy :
Specific objectives 2018
  • Workshop for experts from the centres involved, local decision-makers and journalists to define the criteria for analysing local knowledge, the possible forms of assistance to the media and the sites where pilot-actions could be carried out in order to test them, with the involvement of local stakeholders, journalists and experts
  • Documentation on the LK of the selected sites, in conjunction with UNESCO
  • Contacts with local decision-makers and media to launch the pilot-actions
  • Dissemination of a mid-term report
Anticipated results 2018
  • Raising the awareness of local decision-makers and the media of the value of local knowledge in preventing local natural disasters
  • Selection and systematisation of local knowledge in the sites involved
  • Analysis of the problems to be addressed to launch the “Protect your territory” pages
  • Increased resilience to natural disasters

Expected results year 2

Specific objectives 2019
  • Completion of pilot-actions
  • Publication of documentation on the local knowledge analysed, the forms of assistance validated by the pilot actions and the “Protect your territory” pages initiated
  • Public conference (experts, decision-makers, journalists) to present the documents resulting from research and the “Protect your territory” pages initiated
  • Dissemination of Guidelines to produce “Protect your territory” pages in other EUR-OPA countries
  • Impact prevention of natural disasters (as a result of local knowledge and “Protect your territory”)
Anticipated results 2019
  • Completion of the pilot-actions
  • Launch of the “Protect your territory” pages
  • Production and dissemination of the Guidelines
CUEBC CRSTRA

European University Centre for Cultural Heritage - Italy



Deliverables year 1

  • Production of the mid-term report
  • Documentation on local knowledge on the Amalfi Coast the Cinque Terre
  • Publication of documents presented at Workshop 1

Deliverables year 2

  • Launching of the “Protect your territory” pages on the Amalfi Coast (or the Cinque Terre or Versilia)
  • Publication of research documents (proceedings of Workshop1 and the final Conference)
  • Publication of the guidelines for the launch of the “Protect your territory” pages (errors to be avoided, positive experiences, etc.)

Activities year 1

  • Documentation of LK appearing in the media of the Amalfi Coast and the Cinque Terre, before and after natural disasters
  • Production and dissemination of a preliminary document illustrating the reasons for and purposes of LK, together with the criteria for identifying and analysing the LK to be documented
  • Promotion of contacts – by e-mail – between all the participating centres and UNESCO to draw up the Workshop1 agenda
  • Organisation of Workshop1 (in Ravello)
  • Involvement of international experts in the workshop1
  • Launch of a pilot-action in a UNESCO site (Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre or Versilia), based on existing contacts between the CUEBC and local stakeholders, and their responses
  • Drafting of the mid-term report (based on the reports produced by the participating centres)

Activities year 2

  • Completion of the pilot-action
  • Drafting of the final report (Guidelines), based on the documents drawn up by the other centres
  • Organisation of the conference to present the Guidelines and the “Protect your territory” pages (in Ravello)
  • Publication and dissemination of the research items

European University Centre for Cultural Heritage - Italy



Deliverables year 1


  • Production of the mid-term report
  • Documentation on local knowledge on the Amalfi Coast the Cinque Terre
  • Publication of documents presented at Workshop 1

Deliverables year 2


  • Launching of the “Protect your territory” pages on the Amalfi Coast (or the Cinque Terre or Versilia)
  • Publication of research documents (proceedings of Workshop1 and the final Conference)
  • Publication of the guidelines for the launch of the “Protect your territory” pages (errors to be avoided, positive experiences, etc.)

Activities year 1


  • Documentation of LK appearing in the media of the Amalfi Coast and the Cinque Terre, before and after natural disasters
  • Production and dissemination of a preliminary document illustrating the reasons for and purposes of LK, together with the criteria for identifying and analysing the LK to be documented
  • Promotion of contacts – by e-mail – between all the participating centres and UNESCO to draw up the Workshop1 agenda
  • Organisation of Workshop1 (in Ravello)
  • Involvement of international experts in the workshop1
  • Launch of a pilot-action in a UNESCO site (Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre or Versilia), based on existing contacts between the CUEBC and local stakeholders, and their responses
  • Drafting of the mid-term report (based on the reports produced by the participating centres)

Activities year 2


 

Centre for Scientific and Technical Research on Arid Regions Omar El Bernaoui - Algeria



Deliverables year 1


  • Documentation of Algerian local knowledge relating to reduction of climate risks

Deliverables year 2


  • Catalogue of local knowledge reducing climate risks
  • Launch of the “Protect your territory” pages of the selected sites

Activities year 1


  • Documentation of Algerian local knowledge relating to prevention of climate risks (desertification), and the extent to which it is covered in the national and local media
  • Participation in Workshop1 (1 participant)
  • Contacts with local decision-makers and journalists to launch a pilot-action

Activities year 2


 

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