IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Kafle, S.K. | |
| Rapid disaster risk assessment of wild animal attacks: with special reference to Sumatran tiger in Aceh, Indonesia | |
| 2011 Full Book | |
A rapid disaster risk assessment was carried out to identify key hazards, assess vulnerabilities and analyze risks of future animal attacks and recommend key mitigating measures to make communities in Mata Ie and Arongaon villages in resilient to future disasters. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview key community informants. Data were collected from field observations and consultation with government agencies, NGOs and community members. For the analysis of the hazard and vulnerability of the prospective communities, the crunch, and pressure and release models were used. Risk analysis was done using risk matrix. The study revealed that flooding, inundation, river bank cutting and disturbance from wild animals were the major natural hazards in the locality. Vulnerability analysis showed that this area had a very high damage potential to flooding, inundation and river cutting. Risk assessment based on the hazard potential and vulnerability analysis shows that the area falls within the very high flood risk zone1. Wild animals especially wild pigs damaged crops, ate chicken, ducks and fruits. Four goats were reported to have killed by tigers recently. Three tigers of different ages were seen in the months of November and December 2007. No tiger was seen or encountered before or after the period even if communities are close to the dense forest. There is highly unlikely to have man-eater tiger present in the nearby forest. No symptom of desperation, stress, trauma or panic among key informants was noticed during the interviews and consultation. Based on the hazard, vulnerability and capacity assessment of communities, the risk of future disaster due to tiger attack is low. Since the Aronggaon and neighboring Jeupheuk communities have been living for more than four decades in the locality and no tiger incidences happened in their knowledge, the selection of sites for housing construction could not be termed as inappropriate. The availability of land for housing, road access to markets and city areas, productive land and nearby forest for their daily cooking and ranching for cattle/livestock made this site appropriate for housing. Since there is a high risk of flooding and its secondary effects, it is recommended that detailed mitigating measures be identified and implemented by mobilizing local communities. Although the community risk due to tiger attack is low and presence of hazard is purely by chance and not a regular phenomenon, some mitigating measures such as community awareness raising in order to reduce the hazard and increase community capacity thereby reducing vulnerabilities is suggested. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |