START, with funding from CDKN, is pleased to support five interdisciplinary research teams to conduct research on integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for resilient development in South Asia. Under this broad research theme, specific projects aim to address three sub-themes:

1. Institutional arrangements and governance structures that influence the degree of flexibility and sustainability of DRR across varying scales.
2. Policy innovations that promote convergence of DRR and CCA into policy and practice at varying scales.
3. The changing nature of development factors, which shape vulnerability to disasters.

The following is a clickable map displaying all five supported research projects.

Ability of Local Multi-Stakeholder Action to Catalyze Shifts in Program and Policy Environment Towards Mainstreaming DRR CCA


Principal Investigator: Anshu Sharma
Co-investigators: Rajib Shaw and Sahba Chauhan
Location: Leh and Barmer districts, India

Project description: This project will enable policy action toward DRR and enhancing adaptive capacity by creating “windows of opportunity” through agenda setting, coalition building and policy learning at the local level. It will also set standards for local multi-stakeholder action for bringing about larger integration of DRR and CCA for resilient development by consolidating innovative and strategic action toward this goal both in policy and in practice in post-disaster situations.
To learn more about this project, click here.

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Ability of Local Multi-Stakeholder Action to Catalyze Shifts in Program and Policy Environment Towards Mainstreaming DRR CCA
Principal Investigator: Anshu Sharma
Co-investigators: Rajib Shaw and Sahba Chauhan
Location: Leh and Barmer districts, India

Project description: This project will enable policy action toward DRR and enhancing adaptive capacity by creating “windows of opportunity” through agenda setting, coalition building and policy learning at the local level. It will also set standards for local multi-stakeholder action for bringing about larger integration of DRR and CCA for resilient development by consolidating innovative and strategic action toward this goal both in policy and in practice in post-disaster situations.
To learn more about this project, click here.

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Towards Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation: Understanding Flood Risk and Resilience in Eastern India


Principal Investigator: Shiraz A. Wajih
Co-investigators: Anil Kumar Gupta and Marcus Moench
Location: Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India

Project description: This research will improve understanding of the systemic factors contributing to flood resilience under changing climate conditions in Gorakhpur district. It will identify practical strategies for integrating disaster risk management and climate adaptation. Research to identify systemic factors within regions that contribute to resilience or exacerbate vulnerability will improve the ability to identify practical points where intervention could build resilience and institutions that have the capacity to intervene.
To learn more about this project, click here.

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Linking DRR, CCA and Sustainable Landscape Development Goals in the Eastern Himalaya


Principal Investigator: Sarala Khaling
Co-investigators: Reinmar Seidler and Pashupati Chaudhary
Location: Sikkim and Darjeeling, India

Project description: This project will strengthen the climate resilience of socio-ecological systems in the Eastern Himalaya by generating, analyzing and disseminating new information to help vulnerable communities, civil society organizations, disaster response agencies and development planners better integrate long-term climate awareness into their thinking and planning. This work will provide a regional model for the integration of climate change information into risk reduction and rural development planning at the landscape scale.
To learn more about this project, click here.

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Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Koshi River Basin, Nepal


Principal Investigator: Dr. Laxmi Devkota
Co-investigators: Dr. Manjeshowri Singh and Dr. Sunil Bbau Shrestha

Project description: The objective of this research is to assess the impacts of climate change on current and future development in the Koshi River Basin, including increased variation of extreme climate and hydrological events, and to propose adaptation measures and policy innovations for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptations.
To learn more about this project, click here.

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Getting Climate Smart for Disasters


Principal Investigator: Indrani Phukan
Co-investigators: Mihir Bhatt and Terry Cannon
Location: Bihar and Odisha states, India

Project description: This project will test the effectiveness of the Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management (CSDRM) approach as a method for identifying barriers and opportunities for integrating the challenges of climate change with disaster risk reduction and development; identifying policy innovation; and monitoring progress toward integration. To understand effective integration, two key areas thought to act as barriers will be analyzed: the mismatched priorities of DRR institutions and of ordinary people, and the need for diversified livelihoods as a means to reduce climate dependency.
To learn more about this project, click here.

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Last Updated on January 24th, 2013