Projects per year
Abstract
The value of the inclusion and participation of local communities in efforts to assess and manage disaster risk is now widely acknowledged in the academic literature. In the field of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the design and implementation of early warning systems (EWS) the integration of local knowledge with scientific knowledge has been viewed as a way of operationalising the active engagement of communities. This systematic review and evidence synthesis examined deliberate, researcher-initiated, efforts to integrate local and scientific knowledge within the context of DRR and EWS, exploring the motivations for knowledge integration, the processes of knowledge integration and the outcomes of these processes. Twenty empirical studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. The results indicate that the motivations for knowledge integration derived from real life challenges, that is, that top down DRR measures had not been adopted by local communities and that the knowledge of local or scientific communities in isolation was unable to manage disaster risk. Furthermore, knowledge integration was seen to empower communities and produce DRR interventions that were responsive to local needs and sensitivities. The processes of knowledge integration were participatory and interactive, and a range of outcomes were generated within the context of participatory projects. Nevertheless, neither the processes nor the outcomes of knowledge integration had been formally evaluated. Participatory processes of knowledge integration and evaluation of processes and outcomes need to be considered carefully during the design of the research, allowing for necessary time and the inclusion of appropriate expertise.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 103255 |
Journal | International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction |
Volume | 81 |
Early online date | 5 Sept 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Oct 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was financially supported from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Global Challenges Research Fund (project number: EP/P028403/1, the ReNEW project). The views expressed are those of the authors alone and the sponsor had no involvement in the study design, the analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the report, and the decision to submit the article for publication.
Funding
Similarly to the processes of integration, a range of outcomes was generated out of these participatory projects such as weather-related prediction and forecasting models, several kinds of maps, physical elements of an EWS, risk communication tools, mitigation and prevention strategies tools, as well as assessment and decision support tools. However, evidence of formal evaluation of these outcomes was, again, rarely present. The apparent lack of formal evaluation of both the processes and the outcomes might partly relate to the ways related research is funded and structurally organised. For example, it might be difficult to evaluate DRR outputs on a long-term basis (especially if the hazards of interest are rare) if research projects are funded for shorter periods of time (e.g., 3-year funding window). More flexible funding models might then be useful so that evaluation over time can be embedded [ 53 ]. Participatory processes of integration, as well as their evaluation, also need to be thought through carefully during the design of the research so that the right team makeup and expertise is present from the start (especially for smaller, less resourceful projects). Having these projects externally evaluated and/or involving the communities themselves in evaluation may be valuable ways forward. Otherwise, there is a danger of designing research that appears to adhere to calls and requirements for participatory research, but it does not genuinely engage with communities or does this in a self-serving manner with no clarity as to whether outcomes of higher quality are generated.
Keywords
- Disaster risk reduction
- Early warning systems
- knowledge integration
- Local knowledge
- Scientific knowledge
- Systematic review
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Building and Construction
- Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
- Safety Research
- Geology
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Dive into the research topics of 'Integrating local and scientific knowledge in disaster risk reduction: A systematic review of motivations, processes, and outcomes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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ReNEW
Kasprzyk-Hordern, B. (PI), Barnett, J. (CoI), Estrela, P. (CoI), Feil, E. (CoI), Frost, C. (CoI), Kjeldsen, T. (CoI) & Stanton Fraser, D. (CoI)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
1/05/17 → 31/12/20
Project: Research council