Attention to the problems posed by natural hazards in West and Central Africa was brought into sharp focus by the deaths of an estimated 1700 people in the valleys to the north of Lake Nyos in 1986. Prior to that the only, well documented, major natural catastrophe was the 1983 earthquake which killed at least 275 people in northwestern Guinea. Though we would not wish to appear to suggest that the 1939 Accra earthquake, which killed 16 people, or the Lake Monoun disaster, which killed 37 people in 1984, were not significant events for the areas concerned. The full horror of the Lake Nyos gas disaster was exacerbated, as far as the outside world was concerned, by initial uncertainty concerning its cause. During the first phase of the investigation there were considerable disagreements between some of the participating groups of scientists. Many of these disagreements have now been resolved and it is to be hoped that the contributions in this volume will further help to resolve some of the outstanding uncertainties. However, although it is important to understand what happened at Lake Nyos in 1986, and why it happened, it is more important for the future of that area that further similar disasters should be avoided. We can only hope that this volume will help to establish a solid foundation for future research into ways of removing excess gas from the lake.

Natural and human-induced environmental hazards are becoming increasingly prominent. The frequency of recorded natural disasters rose markedly during the last century, from about 100 per in the years up to 1940 to nearly 2800 during the 1990s. Africa is the only continent whose share of reported disasters has increased over the past decade. Several factors contribute to Africa’s high vulnerability to disasters. These include the high rate of population growth, food insecurity, high levels of poverty, inappropriate use of natural resources, and failures of policy and institutional frameworks. Despite the huge negative impact of natural and human-induced hazards on Africa’s development, little is done to prevent them. Disaster prevention contributes to lasting improvement in safety and sustainable livelihoods and is essential as part of integrated disaster management strategies. The provision of effective scientific input to policy formulation on various issues related to hazards and disasters is an ambitious undertaking. It requires the collaborative effort of the African scientific community to develop comprehensive long-term strategies and human capacity-building initiatives that will enable science to benefit society. This will further require: a) Building strong research and training institutions in Africa at national and regional levels; b) Facilitating the exchange of scientific information and sharing of ideas across borders; c) Strengthening the link between scientific research and policy making; d) Promoting outreach activities to build resilience to disaster risk; and e) Tapping the knowledge base of rural and urban communities. In this volume, the ICSU ROA has brought together selected African scientific researchers to share their views on policy direction for facing challenges linked to natural and human-induced hazards. The book is intended for policy advisers, environmental scientists, government officials and members of the general public with a special interest in environmental issues.

A unique interdisciplinary approach to disaster risk research, including global hazards and case-studies, for researchers, graduate students and professionals.

The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters of the School of Public Health at the Catholic University of Louvain in Brussels, Belgium, presents information on the natural disasters of Central African Republic. For the occurrences to be natural disasters, the event must involve 10 or more people reported killed, 100 people reported affected, a call for international assistance, or a declaration of a state of emergency. The center highlights the top 10 natural disasters, a chronology of natural disasters, and raw data for Central African Republic.

The term 'natural disaster' is often used to refer to natural events such as earthquakes, hurricanes or floods. However, the phrase 'natural disaster' suggests an uncritical acceptance of a deeply engrained ideological and cultural myth. At Risk questions this myth and argues that extreme natural events are not disasters until a vulnerable group of people is exposed. The updated new edition confronts a further ten years of ever more expensive and deadly disasters and discusses disaster not as an aberration, but as a signal failure of mainstream 'development'. Two analytical models are provided as tools for understanding vulnerability. One links remote and distant 'root causes' to 'unsafe conditions' in a 'progression of vulnerability'. The other uses the concepts of 'access' and 'livelihood' to understand why some households are more vulnerable than others. Examining key natural events and incorporating strategies to create a safer world, this revised edition is an important resource for those involved in the fields of environment and development studies.