Natural hazard mitigation and engineering geology for society – research and education

Natural hazards, specifically landslides, are among the most relevant threats to human society in many regions worldwide, including Alpine areas and the Himalayans. The number of recorded disaster events, caused by a combination of changes in its physical, technological, human and social systems, has been increasing over recent decades, resulting in a large number of human victims, economic losses, and environmental degradation. This increase in financial, environmental, and human damage is a result of growing exposure and vulnerability to active natural hydro-meteorological and earth system processes which are prone to significantly change in coming decades. Especially mountain regions are sensitive to climate change and are expected to face an increase of the frequency and intensity of hazard processes like landslides due to changes in the underlying triggers or predisposition factors. In addition to the permanent threat of settlement areas by landslides, the development of long-lasting and robust infrastructure based on roads and railways, hydropower and water supply dams and pipes, power lines, and public buildings in such a terrain poses a particular challenge, also due to limited financial resources. However, the development of such basic infrastructure is the key to reach the sustainable development goals, comprising SDG 1, SDG 4, SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 9, and SDG 13. The proposed project TRAINEE aims to establish an Academic partnership between Bhutan, Nepal and Austria, all countries with a significant portion of mountainous terrain. For this purpose, higher education and research in the field of natural hazard mitigation and engineering geology will be fostered, by the involvement of various stakeholders and by the establishment of an interdisciplinary consortium, including social sciences. TRAINEE will primarily focus on excellent education and research for i) the exploration and management of safe drinking water, ii) for the development of engineering geology skills and competences for planning and designing of basic infrastructure, and iii) for the assessment and mitigation of natural hazard processes such as landslides. The activities for the initiation of the Academic Partnership i.e. during the preparatory phase include online-meetings and workshops in the starting phase, an onsite workshop and field visits in Nepal and a collaborative development of an Academic Partnership Proposal. The outcomes of the project will be a first step for a sustainable collaboration between partner countries of similar mountain setting, but different boundary conditions for the management of mountain hazard processes.