91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ

UNESCO organised a tsunami simulation and drill exercise in the Manuel Antonio National Park, located within the Savegre Biosphere Reserve in Costa Rica. The tsunami exercise marked the the celebration of the Park’s 50th Anniversary and brought together a range of stakeholders, including the National Emergency Commission (CNE), the Municipal Emergency Committee (CME) of Quepos, Officials from the Park Authority, the Municipality, the national tsunami warning centre (SINAMOT) , the MAB Board for the Savegre Biosphere Reserve, and a local environmental organisation (ASANA).

The tsunami exercise and drill concluded a year-long UNESCO pilot project to enhance coastal hazard preparedness and resilience in the Savegre biosphere reserve, a joint initiative by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) and Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).

As a result of the pilot project, the Canton of Quepos received a UNESCO Tsunami Ready recognition plate for successfully implementing key tsunami risk reduction indicators. UNESCO also provided low-technology equipment for emergency alert and preparedness to the CME and the National Park. 

Why the Savegre Biosphere Reserve?

The is the only coastal and marine Biosphere Reserve in Costa Rica. It was selected as pilot region due to its vulnerability to coastal hazards given that it attracts thousands of visitors every year and is home to diverse populations, including vulnerable and at-risk populations living in more remote areas. Since tourism is a primary source of income for the region, developing preparedness and resilience mechanisms for coastal hazard risk is critical to saving lives and livelihoods both now and in the long term.

The tsunami simulation exercise tested the National Park’s Emergency Response Plan and Tsunami Standard Operating Procedures which were updated within the scope of the tsunami preparedness pilot project. The exercise scenario was based on a hypothetical tsunami arriving to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, originated from a 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Ecuador. A medium level alert was issued, allowing the local emergency authorities to evacuate communities to designated safe areas.

The exercise included a hands-on tsunami drill, involving 50 tourists who were allowed into the Park to participate. The drill used the same tsunami exercise scenario to practise the National Park’s revised and updated protocols to evacuate tourists to assembly points. Heavy rain throughout the drill did not prevent a successful outcome, but demonstrated the importance of accounting for potential multi-hazard events (heavy rainfall and a tsunami) in the evacuation protocols.

The exercises were followed by workshops and interactive exercises on ecosystem services, nature-based solutions and their relationship to coastal hazards and disaster risk reduction. Services provided by ecosystems such as river forests, coral reefs, coastal vegetation,sand dunes and mangrove forests are essential to preparing and strengthening coastal protection in areas such as the Savegre Biosphere Reserve. 

In one exercise, participants were provided a multi-hazard scenario for flooding in the urban center of Quepos from storm surges and heavy rainfall and were challenged to compare conventional hard solutions to nature-based solutions. Innovative nature-based solutions include recovering riverside forest cover, implementing green infrastructure in buildings such as green roofs, rain gardens and raising coral reefs, and even introducing better adapted species of coral that can survive harsh conditions. Despite higher costs and environmental impacts, conventional, hard solutions might still be needed in some High Impact Low Frequency scenarios (HILF) .

***

Key links:

About the IOC-UNESCO:

The  promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science and tsunami warning. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress, the basis of peace and sustainable development.