Members of the communities without secure land tenure are more at-risk of being affected by the adverse effects of disasters as they lose access to land and the ability to carry out their previous livelihoods on that land. These groups often include women, older people, persons with disabilities, and indigenous communities, especially the poor, who frequently live and have livelihoods in high-risk areas, including in the proximity of volcanoes, deforested mountains, riverbeds, low-lying flood plains and coastal areas.
For building the resilience of at-risk communities in relation to land utilization and ownership:
- Work with representative organisations of at-risk groups where available, such as Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), women’s organisations, indigenous networks, etc. to build capacities to claiming their land ownership rights and securing land tenure.
- Consider the changing dynamics of households and communities in land administration to improve gender and disability inclusive access to land. Pay particular attention to women with disabilities who are at increased risk of being denied inheritance rights.
- Ensure broad consultations with and engagement of at-risk communities in land use planning and in managing the built environment in a way that reduces exposure and vulnerability to natural hazards and increases the capability of people to respond to and recover from such events when they occur.
- Provide inputs and capacity-building support to women and men with disabilities for diversifying their means of income/livelihoods.
- Provide access of farmers with diverse disabilities to agricultural extension and training.
- Support resettlement of at-risk communities from hazard-prone areas. Where resettlement is not possible, provide tools and incentives for making improvements to their housing or land.