Adapting to changes in volcanic behaviour: Formal and informal interactions for enhanced risk management at Tungurahua Volcano, Ecuador

Armijos, Maria Teresa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1020-6056, Phillips, Jeremy, Wilkinson, Emily, Barclay, Jenni ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6122-197X, Hicks, Anna, Palacios, Pablo, Mothes, Patricia and Stone, Jonathan (2017) Adapting to changes in volcanic behaviour: Formal and informal interactions for enhanced risk management at Tungurahua Volcano, Ecuador. Global Environmental Change, 45. pp. 217-226. ISSN 0959-3780

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Abstract

This paper provides an example of how communities can adapt to extreme forms of environmental change and uncertainty over the longer term. We analyse the interactions between scientists, communities and risk managers and examine the interpretation and communication of uncertain scientific information during a long-lived volcanic eruption in Tungurahua, Ecuador. This is complemented with a detailed study of the eruptions of 2006 and 2014, which exemplifies the complexity of interactions during periods of heightened volcanic activity. Our study describes how a ‘shadow network’ has developed outside of, but in interaction with, the formal risk management institutions in Ecuador, improving decision-making in response to heightened volcanic activity. The findings suggest that the interactions have facilitated important adaptations in the scientific advisory response during eruptions (near-real-time interpretation of the volcanic hazards), in hazard communication, and in the evacuation processes. Improved communication between stakeholders and the establishment of thresholds for evacuations have created an effective voluntary evacuation system unique to Tungurahua, allowing people to continue to maintain their livelihoods during heightened volcanic activity and associated periods of uncertainty. Understanding how shadow networks act to minimise the negative consequences of volcanic activity provides valuable insights for increasing societal resilience to other types of hazards.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: adaptation,natural hazards,disaster risk management,uncertainty,shadow networks
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of International Development
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Art, Media and American Studies
Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Science
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Geosciences
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Global Environmental Justice
University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 22 Jul 2017 05:06
Last Modified: 14 Jun 2023 13:02
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/64231
DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.06.002

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