As many as 37 international students learn disaster mitigation strategies at UGM in the Summer Course Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DDR) 2017, organized by Faculty of Geography UGM for two weeks from 14-25 August 2017. Students in undergraduate and graduate levels from 13 countries (Yemen, Morocco, Tajikistan, India, Malaysia, Japan, France, Brasil, Sweden, Ireland, Poland, Hollands and Indonesia) became participants.
Dean of Faculty of Geography UGM, Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Muh Aris Marfai, said that they had long been involved in disaster mitigation based on ecosystem (Eco-DDR). The summer course is a form of disaster risk reductions and a support to SDGs.
“This forum is expected to be the media for the participants to share information and experience for disaster risk reduction,” he said, opening the Summer Course on Monday (14/8) on campus.
Event coordinator, Dr. Dyah Rahmawati Hizbaron, M.Sc., MT., explained Indonesia is a highly vulnerable country to disaster. So, efforts to devise disaster mitigation strategies that are integrated for disaster risk reduction based on the ecosystem need to be developed, hence the summer course.
Dyah said the summer course is an effort to develop Eco-DDR by collaborating with Center of Natural Resource and Development (CNRD). Eco-DDR concept development has run for the past few years with other world universities.
“Hopefully, the summer course may lead to the development of a disaster centre of excellence based on ecosystem in Indonesia. This will serve as a stepping stone to achieve excellence internationally as a living laboratory for disaster studies,” she said,
Experts in disaster risk reduction based on ecosystem joining the event are Prof. Dr. Franck Lavigne (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbone), Dr. Seca Gandaseca (University Putra Malaysia), Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar De (International Association of Geomorphologist), Prof. Dr. Katsuki Umeda (Chiba University, Japan), Dr. Muna Sarimin (University of Technology MARA, Malaysia), Dr. Puji Pujiono (UN-ESCAP / E-Pujiono Learning Center), Dr. Passanan Assaravak and Dr. Piyapong Janmaimool (King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand), Dr. Herry Yogaswara (LIPI), Dr. Suko Prayitno Adi (STMKG), and Danang Samsurizal, M.T (BPBD Yogyakarta).
In the event, Prof. Sunil Kumar De (International Association of Geomorphologists) gave a public lecture on disaster. Participants of summer course will also do field practice.