Engaging national policy makers in ecosystem based disaster risk reduction through social learning: Lessons from workshops in Africa, oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract This paper presents the results of a critical examination of four regional workshops convened in Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, South America, and Oceania for promoting ecosystem based disaster risk reduction through a social learning approach amongst policy makers from forty two countries. The workshops were conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to support capacity development of policy makers on EcoDRR. Using qualitative methods, the paper analyses social learning processes and outcomes in abetting knowledge co-production, application-based learning, development of partnerships for cooperation, as well as workshop follow-up actions for implementation. Based on facilitators' observations, participants’ reflections during the workshops and a post-workshop participant survey, the research demonstrates that social learning supported pooling of knowledge from disaster risk management and environment management fields. Furthermore, results also show that strengthening of skills in application of the knowledge in different contexts as well as development of partnerships for collaboration had occurred. Similarly, participants confirmed that the learning process mobilised implementation of ecosystem based approaches to reducing disaster risks, through attributing their follow up actions to the workshops. However, results of this paper are a snapshot of immediate and short-term impacts and longer-term analysis would be important in assessing the full potential of social learning. Furthermore, while designing such workshops can enable high levels of participation and create ownership of the knowledge and outcomes, the longer timeframes needed to realise the full potential of social learning may make it challenging to employ it for short, intense and often, one off, learning workshops convened in international development projects.