Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction: Bridging mitigation and adaptation for community resilience

Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (eco-DRR) is emerging as an approach to disaster risk reduction which bridges mitigation and adaptation, protecting communities from the impacts of disasters in the short term while building long term resilience by addressing both hazards and vulnerability to them. Although a relatively new field, researchers and practitioners have generated a wealth of experience and knowledge about what eco-DRR is, the benefits it offers, and the factors needed for it to be effective, as well as guiding principles and learning about gaps and limitations. This paper reviews a wide selection of academic and grey literature to synthesise this knowledge and provide an overview of the current state of the art in relation to eco-DRR, the evidence supporting it, current agreed good practice, and the gaps, challenges, and limitations of the field.