International Symposium on Natural Hazards and Land Use Planning

Call for papers

Presentation
This symposium focuses on risk as a current problem in contemporary geographical studies. It aims to better understand the dangers that threaten people and explain the means implemented to prevent disasters and reduce their impacts.
Morocco, like other countries, is exposed to many natural hazards: floods, droughts, marine submersions, coastal erosion, storms, earthquakes, ground movements, forest fires ...
They can cause material damage and are harmful to human lives.
These consequences increase mainly because of the urban growth sometimes poorly controlled. Risks of excessive floods follow, particularly in the peripheral neighborhoods of mountainous reliefs.
Other risks are to be feared, even if they are less frequent. This is the case of the earthquakes of Al Hoceima (February 24, 2004) and Agadir (February 29, 1960), which were deadly and disastrous. In the future, the effects of climatic hazards could worsen the situation of weakened areas and facing hard human pressure.
The cost of these crises corresponds to increasing vulnerability and the increase of affected stakes. The analysis of the course of the crisis leads to consider how to avoid such situations and brings up the issue of risk management and the appropriate means to put in place.
The recent awareness of natural hazards explains the importance of regulations and management policies. While knowledge of risk is not new, each serious event has been followed by an awareness of legislation need.
Risk management is organized around forecasting, protectiing and preventing. The modalities of this management, the feedback of experience as well as a sustained policy of information and knowledge of the risk are major aspects to reach more effective risk management.
This conference aims to be a global forum for researchers and engineers from different branches and specialties to present real cases in different territories and discuss several aspects of risk management, such as issues, actors, costs, constraints ... Reconciliation of planning, economic development of territories and the safety of the dwellers: this has been the issue during some decades up to now for the "culture of risk".

For more information (Download the file)

Symposium Coordinator: Pr. Abdelkader SBAI
Department of Geography, FLSH
B.P. 457 Hay El Qods 60000 Oujda Morocco
Phone : + 212 6 62 85 77 19
Fax : + 212 5 36 50 05 96
E-mail : sbaiabdelkader59@gmail.com