Reducing vulnerability to natural disasters in the Asia Pacific through improved land administration and management

There is evidence linking climate change with an increase in the frequency, severity, and unpredictability of natural disasters in the past decade. Between 1974 and 2003 there were 6,367 such destructive natural disasters, resulting in over 2 million deaths, with 75% of these in Asia alone (Guha-Sapir et al, 2004). Lessons from the 2004 Asian tsunami, recent earthquakes in India and Indonesia, and tropical cyclones in the Philippines and Samoa have highlighted the significant land issues that can arise in the aftermath of the natural disaster. This includes people losing access to land through resettlement, and land grabbing causing loss of connection with pre-disaster sources of livelihood. Since the Asian tsunami there has been extensive analysis of the approaches taken to address these land issues after natural disasters, and the literature contains several case studies and comprehensive reports from international agencies providing guidelines for addressing land issues after natural disasters.