Eco-DRR practices and research: Visualization and analysis of global perspectives

Abstract

The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 triggered a rethinking of conventional disaster risk reduction (DRR) based on engineering (grey) structures and routine techniques. The emerging concept of ecosystem services merged with DRR to form the new interventional area of Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR), a less than 20-year-old concept that is still evolving. This study provides an overview of the history of Eco-DRR research, identifies current thrust areas and gaps, and examines key institutions, countries, and funding agencies involved in harnessing nature-based or ecosystem-based solutions for disaster risk reduction. Using bibliometric tools like VOSviewer, Scopus Journal Analyzer, Publish or Perish, and Voyant Tools, the study analyses the data retrieved from the Scopus database. The analysis indicates a shift in focus of DRR research from adaptation to ecosystem risks, with a focus on “disaster” and its “reduction” in recent years. Indonesia and India are the only Global South countries in the top ten Eco-DRR publishing nations in the world. The most frequently cited source in the literature on Eco-DRR is Renaud F, Sudmeier-Rieux K, and Estrella M (eds.) (2013) The Role of Ecosystems in Disaster Risk Reduction, pp. 321–342, United Nations University Press, Tokyo. Sudmeier-Rieux, of the United Nations Environment Programme, Geneva, is the most influential author in Eco-DRR.Data repository: https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/jdgrwpvvck/draft?a=559ea3f8-a35b-4e44-8c01-faeb953a2c3f.