Integral risk management of natural hazards-A system analysis of operational application to rapid mass movements

The framework of an integral risk management (IRM) can be regarded as the recent approach to deal with rapid mass movements and resulting risks in Switzerland. It describes a management system for dealing with different types of hazards within a defined time frame and their cumulative consequences. It is thought to be a basic metric to prioritise risk reduction strategies as a preliminary to assure safety as a standard for society. In the last decade the methods for dealing with natural hazards and risks have been further developed. The question rises whether and how the developed methods for risk analysis, risk evaluation and risk management are applied in practice. What are the main problems in operational risk management of rapid mass movements? These questions are addressed in this paper. First, an analysis of system coherence in the field of natural hazards and risk management in Switzerland was conducted. The focus was put on stakeholders and their competences, applied tools and decision-making processes. These findings were mirrored on the one hand in a national expert workshop and on the other hand in an international workshop with participants from risk management practice, risk research science and governmental administration from different European countries. The results of these workshops indicate that the transfer of knowledge and methods from science to practice could be further improved. This suggests that there is need for further research on knowledge transfer and knowledge exchange in the field of natural hazards. Finally, the design of further investigations is presented. These investigations were part of the EU-funded project on integral risk management of extremely rapid mass movements, IRASMOS.