Nature-society relations in disaster governance frameworks.

Area of Science:

• Environmental governance
• Disaster risk reduction
• Social-ecological systems

Background:

• Dominant disaster governance frameworks conceptualize nature and society as separate entities.
• Societal organization is increasingly identified as the primary driver of hazards and disasters.
• Disaster impacts are framed around adverse societal consequences, with nature often relegated to a background role.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the construction of nature-society relations within disaster governance frameworks.
• To investigate the implications of the nature-society dualism for disaster risk and vulnerability.
• To examine how disaster governance operates in peripheral areas characterized by remoteness and extensive non-human nature.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of disaster governance frameworks.
• Conceptual analysis of nature-society dualism.
• Case study approach focusing on peripheral regions (implied).

Main Results:

• Dominant frameworks maintain a nature-society dualism, focusing governance on societal aspects.
• This dualism marginalizes the role of non-human nature in disaster contexts.
• In remote peripheries, the vulnerabilities of both humans and other-than-human nature risk being ungoverned.

Conclusions:

• The nature-society dualism in disaster governance is problematic, particularly in peripheral contexts.
• A more integrated approach is needed to address the interconnected vulnerabilities of humans and nature.
• Disaster governance must evolve to encompass the complexities of social-ecological systems in all regions.