One of the best ways to improve collective knowledge and practice is through sharing experiences and knowledge between different stakeholders. The idea for the current monograph followed such an approach. The monograph presents six best practice examples from six of the project’s Pilot Action Regions (PAR). It is one of the deliverables of the GreenRisk4ALPs project funded by the EU Interreg Alpine Space program. The project aims to develop decision support tools supporting risk-based protective forest management in the Alpine Space. All main outputs of the project have been tested, improved and operationally applied in the PARs. The monograph is primarily intended for forestry experts, decision-makers at all levels of decision-making and other professionals.

Protective forests are a key component to reduce natural hazard risks in mountain areas by preventing or decreasing the frequency, magnitude and/or intensity of snow avalanches, rockfall, landslides, floods, and debris flows. This book summarizes the state-of-the-art knowledge and introduces methods and decision support tools to facilitate the use of protective forests for Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) as part of an integrated risk management in the Alpine Space. Moreover, it highlights how translating scientific knowledge into practical solutions can only be achieved by an active and iterative exchange with practitioners and policy makers, and a common understanding of applied concepts and definitions. Only then can protective forests be managed sustainably under constantly changing climate and socio-economic conditions.

Vulnerability to natural disasters continues to increase, severely compromising the achievement of poverty alleviation goals in many developing countries. A more effective approach is needed to reduce the impacts of these disasters. This publication proposes an approach that integrates ecosystem management, development planning and risk reduction strategies to reduce disaster impacts and improve both livelihoods and biodiversity outcomes.

This book provides an introduction to the critical role of ecosystem-based disaster risk resilience (Eco-DRR) for building community resilience to multiple environmental risks such as rising heat, water stress, and pollution. Blue-green infrastructure (BGI) is an Eco-DRR tool that is an under-explored paradigm and can respond as one common strategy to targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP), Climate Agreements (UNEP), the Sendai Framework (UNISDR), and the New Urban Agenda (UNCHS). Highlighted here in a systematic way is the importance of blue-green infrastructures in resilience building. The purpose is to introduce readers to the challenging context of development and opportunity creation for Eco-DRR. The roles of policy, scientific research, and implementation are presented cohesively. An attractive proposition of the book is a collection of case studies from different parts of the world where integration of BGI is experimented with at various levels of success. It envisages that shared tacit experiences from the realm of practice will further strengthen explicit knowledge. The focus in this book is on need and context building, policy and science (investigation, analysis, and design), case studies, and a road map for the future in four successive parts. Each part is self-sufficient yet linked to its predecessor, successor, or both, as the case may be.