The contribution of economic and public-private cooperation instruments to the prevention and mitigation of natural hazards

Abstract

If damage caused by a natural disaster can be regarded as a loss of territorial resources, part of which are not reproducible, hazard mitigation goals should primarily refer to ex ante interventions, able to reduce consequences if the disaster occurs. If it is therefore clear that in a short period perspective attention is focused on civil protection and damage management, in a long period perspective prevention goals should be seen as the best action approach. This to reduce the total territorial loss in case of disaster, of course not undervaluing the importance of better organize disaster ex post intervention measures to mitigate damage impacts. But how to gain such a result? And how to intervene on the wide plurality of different territories, natural hazard sources, subjects and activities which characterises contemporary societies?