The problems and issues of natural hazards and disasters, both globally and in Canada, are becoming increasingly important since the costs of extreme natural events have been escalating, and significant vulnerabilities exist in Canadian society. Without thoughtful and effective mitigation, these costs and human suffering are likely to continue to increase. An assessment of knowledge, research, and practice in risk, hazards and disasters fields is a fundamental step towards the goal of prevention and mitigation.

This book on natural hazards and disasters in Canada is the first comprehensive interdisciplinary publication on this subject, and is the result of a national assessment on this topic. A variety of papers from the physical and social sciences explores both the risks associated with these hazards, and adaptive strategies that can be used to reduce those risks.

Audience: This excellent collection of papers is intended for academics, professionals and practitioners involved in hazard reduction activities who wish to obtain a better understanding of Canadian natural hazards.

Autorentext
Dr. Emdad Haque is the Director and Professor at the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitobe, Canada. Prior to joining the University of Manitoba in 2001, Dr. Haque was a Professor of Geography at Brandon University where he had served as Chair of the Department of Geography during 1997-2000. Dr. Haque's primary academic interest is to explore into the various facets of, and processes in the nature and society interface. His background is in the area of resource and environmental management, with concentrations in environmental risk assessment, hazard and disaster management, and water resource management.Dr. Haque's current research interest centers around human involvement in addressing problems concerning the environment and our natural and other resources. At the present time, his research involvement encompasses the following multidisciplinary areas: formulation of a participatory decision-making framework for sustainable floodplain management; the nature and role of risk perception and communication in disaster management; an assessment of knowledge of, and research on environmental hazards and risks as well as social and environmental impact assessment of water resource development projects. Dr. Haque serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Natural Hazards.