Geohazards in Iberoamerica. The role of the Iberoamerican Geological Surveys and Mining Surveys (ASGMI)

Abstract

The geological context determines that Iberoamerica is one of the territories of the world most exposed to disasters derived from active geological processes. As far as the main geohazards which threaten the Iberoamerican countries are concerned, floods and flash floods cause the greatest damage, followed by earthquakes, mass movements and volcanic eruptions. The Group of Experts in Geohazards from the Association of Iberoamerican Geological and Mining Services (ASGMI) has developed an enquiry-based and participatory analysis approach to firstly compile the most damaging events registered during the past ten years and their socio-economic impact. Ten member countries have reported dramatic cases during the last decade, with thousands of fatalities (>11,000 deaths) and severe damage valued up to US$50 billion. However, there is a lack of official data on the socio-economic damage generated by geohazards in many countries. This questionnaire also tries to identify the strengths and weaknesses of ASGMI to generate useful knowledge in decision-making for the different stages of risk management and territorial planning. Most geological services have thematic mapping plans on the different geohazards; however, a relevant deficiency detected in many countries is the lack of hazard and vulnerability at a detailed resolution for urban and territorial planning. Half of the geological services do not have any official competences in terms of vigilance, control and monitoring of the different geohazards; a fact that determines a smaller number of experts on the staff and less activity in this field. In general, Iberoamerican geological services should increase their efforts to develop outreach programs to strengthen geohazard awareness, educational and communication strategies to provide residents and policy-makers adapted information on the knowledge acquired, as well as favouring and facilitating free and open access to their data.