Are we missing out in evaluating ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction measures? A review and way forward considering cascading benefits

Janzen, Sally, Balzer, Jana, Walz, Yvonne and Sebesvari, Zita, (2025). Are we missing out in evaluating ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction measures? A review and way forward considering cascading benefits. Ecological Indicators, 171(113203), 1-19

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  • Sub-type Journal article
    Author Janzen, Sally
    Balzer, Jana
    Walz, Yvonne
    Sebesvari, Zita
    Title Are we missing out in evaluating ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction measures? A review and way forward considering cascading benefits
    Appearing in Ecological Indicators
    Volume 171
    Issue No. 113203
    Publication Date 2025-02
    Place of Publication Amsterdam
    Publisher Elsevier
    Start page 1
    End page 19
    Language eng
    Abstract Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) are nature-based solutions increasingly taken up to contribute to reducing disaster risks. The implementation of Eco-DRR improves an ecosystem and its ecosystem services provision so as to reduce all or select components of disaster risk. Since ecosystems are interconnected, the benefits of an Eco-DRR measure may go well beyond the actual implementation site. Yet, Eco-DRR is generally evaluated at the level of the measure itself, missing out to capture the full range of risk-reducing ecosystem services and benefits, which may cascade across the landscape. This paper coins the term “cascading benefits” emerging from Eco-DRR and conceptualises the holistic evaluation of Eco-DRR considering cascading benefits to advance evaluation of Eco-DRR at the landscape level. First, the paper presents the results of a literature review designed to understand how Eco-DRR is evaluated to date and whether and how their cascading benefits are considered in the evaluation. The review identified 51 relevant papers, that allowed extracting 93 Eco-DRR evaluation criteria; none of which capture cascading benefits of Eco-DRR. Next, these 93 criteria were assessed for their potential applicability to evaluate cascading benefits, based on an additional, targeted literature review and 7 expert interviews. As a result, 23 criteria were identified for evaluating cascading benefits, providing an entry point for more holistic Eco-DRR evaluation in the future.
    Keyword Evaluation
    Monitoring
    Risk reduction benefits
    Ecosystem Services
    Landscape connections
    Copyright Holder The Authors
    Copyright Year 2025
    Copyright type Creative commons
    DOI 10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113203
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    Created: Tue, 25 Feb 2025, 02:04:36 JST by Aarti Basnyat on behalf of UNU EHS