INTERPRAEVENT 2016 concludes: Natural hazard safety a concerted and ongoing task
Bern, 02.06.2016 - INTERPRAEVENT 2016, the international congress on natural hazards, concluded yesterday in Lucerne with a closing declaration. The congress is one of the most important global events in this area and attracted a record number of participants.
The four-day INTERPRAEVENT 2016 congress in Lucerne has concluded. The participants included 550 international experts from research and practice who exchanged the latest information and experience about natural hazards. The theme of the congress was "Living with natural risks". The participants issued a closing declaration which notes, among other things, that natural hazard protection is an ongoing task. One reason for this is that hazard protection structures must be maintained and updated. Moreover, conditions have changed due to the increase in built-up areas and climate change and the associated increase in the intensity and frequency of precipitation events. Particular attention must be paid to identifying areas in which our society could be at greater risk from natural hazards in the future.
Despite further increases in built-up area, new risks must be avoided, possible and existing risks reduced to an acceptable level. The development and implementation of new risk detection methods are also important. The holistic approach to natural hazards practised for many years in Switzerland attracted considerable attention at the congress. It is not merely a question of ensuring safety in the context of natural hazards. Better natural conditions are also required for rivers and streams, and society's needs for intact living and economic space should be met. Finally, technical hazard prevention, for example protective structures, is not the only important factor; greater risk awareness must also be fostered among the population.
A concerted and ongoing task
Josef Hess, Vice Director of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), was very satisfied with the outcome of INTERPRAEVENT 2016: "Switzerland was able to avail of the opportunity to showcase its management of natural hazards as an Alpine country". At numerous presentations and during ten excursions to the Central Plateau and Alpine region, different cantons showed how Switzerland approaches the wide-ranging challenges it faces in the area of natural hazards.
Kurt Rohner, President of the international research association INTERPRAEVENT, which is based in Austria, welcomed the large number of contributions from practitioners and the productive exchange and interaction between representatives from research and practice. "It is only through the concerted efforts of all stakeholders that the challenging task of natural hazard protection can be fulfilled", said Rohner.
New record
The congress was staged in Switzerland this year for the second time since 1992 and attracted considerable interest: with over 550 participants from around 20 countries, this year's INTERPRAEVENT reached a new record in terms of both participants and presentations. The congress was jointly organised by the FOEN and the canton of Lucerne.
The INTERPRAEVENT 2016 was accompanied by various side events, including an exhibition on torrents in Kriens staged by the host canton, and a public panel discussion in Lucerne, at which representatives of the federal, cantonal, communal authorities and insurance sector debated the role of the state, business and society in the area of natural hazards. The next European INTERPRAEVENT congress will be held in 2020 and the next Asia congress in Toyama, Japan in 2018.
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The research society INTERPRAEVENT, which is based in Austria, holds congresses every four years in Europe and every four years in-between in Asia. The research society INTERPRAEVENT is an international network of experts on protection against natural hazards.
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