“Resilience to Multi-Risk” – Meeting of the Working Group on Natural Hazards and Risks at the IOER - Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development

Heatwaves, heavy rain & snowfall, drought, river flooding, landslides, avalanches – the risks of natural hazards are interconnected, often referred to as complex, multi(ple), compound or systemic risks. How can interactions between the individual hazards and the resulting dynamic development of vulnerability and exposure be holistically considered in multi-risk assessments? – This question was the focus of the annual meeting of the Working Group on Natural Hazards and Natural Risks within the German Geographical Society (DGfG). At the end of April, the IOER hosted and organized the event under the heading “Resilience to Multi-Risk”.

Karsten Grunewald from the IOER (on the left in a red jacket) explains the Flood Education Trail during a field trip. — During a field trip, the participants explored the Flood Education Trail in Dresden. (Photo: Victor Smolinski)

Participants in an event are seated in rows of chairs in a large room and are clapping. — Lively discussion during presentations and sessions in the hall of the IOER. (Photo: Victor Smolinski)

With 50 participants from numerous countries, the event provided a professional platform to address the urgent need for cross-border exchange on making our built environment – cities, buildings, and infrastructures – more resilient to interconnected hazards.

The discussions centred on the adoption of the concepts of compound weather and climate events and compound climate risks. While the former focuses on biophysical processes and climate drivers, the latter incorporates vulnerabilities, exposures, and human responses to understand potential future impacts. Participants explored these interdependencies to better address cascading effects across socio-technical and socio-ecological systems, covering hazards from heatwaves and heavy rain to river flooding, droughts, and landslides.

Special highlights included: a keynote by Jakob Zscheischler from Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and TUD – Dresden University of Technology on compound risk assessment; a practical impulse by Florian Kerl, Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG), on climate risk analysis in Saxony; and a walking excursion along the Flood Education Trail in Dresden. This gathering strengthened the international research network and underlined the importance of evidence-based strategies for long-term resilience.

The annual meeting of the Working Group on Natural Hazards and Natural Risks of the German Geographical Society (DGfG) was organised by a team from the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER). A Book of Abstracts has been published to accompany the event, documenting the wide range of topics covered in the presentations.

Scientific contact at the IOER

Dr. Regine Ortlepp, E-Mail: r.ortleppioer@ioer.de

Dr. Marco Neubert, e-mail: m.neubertioer@ioer.de

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