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Landslide risk perception and communication for disaster risk management in mountain areas of developing countries: a Mexican foretaste

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Abstract

The increasing impact of disasters at local, national, regional and global scales in recent decades has provided enough evidence to urgently direct attention towards the necessity of disaster risk reduction and management, and this requires knowledge. Knowledge without communication is barren, and to communicate the risk of disaster it is necessary to understand the perception of the people at risk. In particular, this paper deals with the necessity to delineate strategies of risk communication in pursuance of risk knowledge as a core of disaster risk reduction and management, especially in mountain areas of developing countries. To portray this issue, an analysis of landslide risk perception in terms of experience, landslide risk awareness, exposure, preparedness, and risk communication and trust was undertaken in the municipality of Teziutlán, Puebla, Mexico, an area that has been affected for several decades by episodes of mass movement. Analysis of the responses to a risk perception questionnaire has offered valuable insights in terms of the information and knowledge most required by the people living in the area of interest, in order to devise a realistic and functional strategy to communicate the risk of a landslide disaster. This includes better understanding of controlling factors and drivers of this risk, and the establishment of potential trusted sources of risk communication. Beyond considering practical matters of risk assessment and management, risk perception and communication can increase the resilience of vulnerable people, and can enhance capacity building for present and future generations.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by CONACyT through the research project 156242. The authors’ appreciation is also extended to K. Landeros-Mugica and J. Urbina-Soria, for their collaboration in the preparation of the questionnaire and their participation in the above mentioned research project, as well as to R. Garnica-Peña for preparing one of the figures included in the paper. Thanks are due to the three anonymous referees who provided constructive and valuable observations and suggestions during the evaluation of the manuscript. Application of the questionnaire was approved by the participants who answered the survey on free and good willingness basis. Thanks are also due to Ann Grant for the English editing of the text.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Irasema Alcántara-Ayala

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico

    Ana Rosa Moreno

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  1. Irasema Alcántara-Ayala
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Correspondence to Irasema Alcántara-Ayala.

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Alcántara-Ayala, I., Moreno, A.R. Landslide risk perception and communication for disaster risk management in mountain areas of developing countries: a Mexican foretaste. J. Mt. Sci. 13, 2079–2093 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-015-3823-0

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