Riccardo Casale – författare

Natural disasters are a clear example of people living in conflict with the environment. Disasters cause human, social and environmental losses and, sometimes, even threaten geopolitical stability, as in many less developed countries. They are also a problem of global concern, even when damage is local: the mechanisms are often dependent on global meteoro-climatic circulation. Losses frequently affect several countries, as could be seen in the floods in central Europe in 2002. It is obvious that there is a clear need for a new approach, capable of incorporating the prevention of natural disasters, whilst mitigating strategies within the cycle of sustainable development. There are no thematic disciplines or political boundaries limitating initiatives: the integration of data providers, data users/information providers and information users, in a global and holistic manner, is the desired outcome of the new frontier. This book falls into this new category: multidisciplinary interventions and socio-economic point of views are the basic inputs for a changing science, implementing sustainable development for the benefit of citizens and society.It is comprised of studies and investigations which explain natural processes and modelling, as well as assessing hazards and risks and is rounded of with suggestions for sustainable development. Thus reflecting the best results of research on this topic funded by the European Commission.

This book reviews the state of the art of natural disasters like floods and landslides, highlighting the possibility of safe and correct land planning and management by means of a global approach to territory. In fact, the events deriving from slope dynamics (gravitational phenomena) and fluvial dynamics (floods) are commonly triggered by the same factor (heavy rainfall), occur at the same time and are closely related. For this reason, this book analyses floods and slope stability phenomena as different aspects of the same dynamic system: the drainage basin.

Natural disasters are a clear example of people living in conflict with the environment. Disasters cause human, social and environmental losses and, sometimes, even threaten geopolitical stability, as in many less developed countries. They are also a problem of global concern, even when damage is local: the mechanisms are often dependent on global meteoro-climatic circulation. Losses frequently affect several  countries, as could be seen in the floods in central Europe in 2002. It is obvious that there is a clear need for a new approach, capable of incorporating the prevention of natural disasters, whilst mitigating strategies within the cycle of sustainable development. There are no thematic disciplines or political boundaries limitating initiatives: the integration of data providers, data users/information providers and information users, in a global and holistic manner, is the desired outcome of the new frontier. This book falls into this new category: multidisciplinary interventions and socio-economic point of views are the basic inputs for a changing science, implementing sustainable development for the benefit of citizens and society. It is comprised of studies and investigations which explain natural processes and modelling, as well as assessing hazards and risks and is rounded of with suggestions for sustainable development. Thus reflecting the best results of research on this topic funded by the European Commission.

Scientific reserach on natural disasters is now implementing new methodologies and aproaches as consequences of: 1. mutating impact of extreme natural events in response to societal change like land use, lifelines, communications, transportation, etc.; 2. development which claim for new urban and industrial territories, often in hazard prone areas; 3. impact of modern society on natural climate variability (climate change) and con­ sequently, on spatial and temporal frequency of extreme events related to hydro­ logical cycle. As consequence of the above mentioned items it is necessary to develop a global approach to territory in order to understand reciprocous influence between climate dynamics with their extreme consequences like floods and landslides and socio-eco­ nomic development. In such a way, and in response to societal change, scientific re­ search on floods and landslides is beginning to loose the classical mono disciplinary approach and it is starting to be a science of the hydrological processes. The course on "Floods and Landslides: integrated risk assessment" held in Orvieto (Italy) 19-26 may 1996, has been organised by the European Commission specifically with the aim of transferring to young European scientists these new views, in order to contribute to a future scientific community, capable to face with the future environ­ mental problems.

Scientific reserach on natural disasters is now implementing new methodologies and aproaches as consequences of: 1. mutating impact of extreme natural events in response to societal change like land use, lifelines, communications, transportation, etc.; 2. development which claim for new urban and industrial territories, often in hazard prone areas; 3. impact of modern society on natural climate variability (climate change) and con­ sequently, on spatial and temporal frequency of extreme events related to hydro­ logical cycle. As consequence of the above mentioned items it is necessary to develop a global approach to territory in order to understand reciprocous influence between climate dynamics with their extreme consequences like floods and landslides and socio-eco­ nomic development. In such a way, and in response to societal change, scientific re­ search on floods and landslides is beginning to loose the classical mono disciplinary approach and it is starting to be a science of the hydrological processes. The course on "Floods and Landslides: integrated risk assessment" held in Orvieto (Italy) 19-26 may 1996, has been organised by the European Commission specifically with the aim of transferring to young European scientists these new views, in order to contribute to a future scientific community, capable to face with the future environ­ mental problems.