ABSTRACT
The frequency and intensity of natural disasters have been increasing in last 20 years. Every five years, the east coast of India deals with devastating cyclones with an aftermath that renders many people’s lives and livelihood suffering. Cyclone risk resilience involves three stages of readiness, response and recovery, which includes identification of vulnerable areas and preparedness before the onset of the cyclone; the actions taken at the time of cyclone; and the steps taken to further come back to normal life. The delta regions where the river meets the sea are one of the areas which are most vulnerable to the cyclone destruction. One such area is the mouth of Devi river, between the districts of Puri and Jagatsinghpur in Orissa. The aim of the paper is to study the region and develop innovative and strategic landscape based solutions which can create sustainable ecosystems for cyclone risk reduction. The research comprises of an initial study to understand the ways in which natural ecosystems have acted as a barrier against cyclone. Further, the study includes a detailed landscape assessment of the region done with the help of GIS tools. The landscape assessment along with the study of culture leads to vulnerability assessment which finally results into nature based strategy development and proposals for cyclone risk reduction. This landscape-based collaborative design approach will help in achieving resilience to absorb shocks and long-term changes, and support livelihoods of the most vulnerable people.
