¿QUÉ PASA? | Vulnerability to natural disasters in Peru INTRODUCTION With twenty-seven types of climate, 65% of territory covered by the

Amazon rainforest and 70% of the world’s tropical glaciers in the An-

des Region, Peru has been constantly affected by the effect of cli-

mate change. This makes Peru a highly vulnerable country to natural

disasters. The intensity of floods, landslides and earthquakes has in-

creased in the past 20 years (floods and landslides in February to

April of 2017 left over half a million people affected), and although

poverty has been reduced, the highest percentage of the population

belong to sectors D and E, especially in rural areas. This is why the

identification of vulnerable population is crucial to target mitigation

and adaptation policies.

METHODOLOGY Where is the most vulnerable population to natural disasters located?

Three datasets were identified at the Global Risk Data Platform

(UNEP) and processed to determine the risk to natural disasters:

floods, landslides, and earthquake epicenters. The first two datasets

were projected and reclassified. The most common epicenters were

identified and then a Euclidean Distance analysis was made to deter-

mine risk of being affected by earthquakes and then reclassified on

the same scale as the previous datasets. Using the raster calculator,

the datasets were merged to calculate a risk score to natural disas-

ters.

With the scores for risk, the zonal statistics tool was used to de-

termine the population located in high risk areas per depart-

ment. With the percentage of the population belonging to sec-

tors D and E (poorest sectors) ranks from 1 (lowest) to 10

(highest) were created and added to the risk score, creating a

vulnerability score from 1 to 20.

CONCLUSION

The departments with a higher poverty level (sectors D and E)

have a high risk of being hit by the natural disasters identified

and are the most vulnerable. In addition, these same depart-

ments. Consequently, the highest vulnerable areas have a high-

er amount of rural population, located in the geographically

challenged Andes Region, who are constantly suffering the con-

sequences of lack of access to infrastructure and basic needs.

However, the most vulnerable areas are not the ones with high-

est population density, this is because of migration from rural

(Andes Region) to urban (coastal cities) areas.

Flood Risk

Distance from

epicenters

Landslide

Risk

Natural Disaster Risk

Department % of vulnerable population

(Sectors D and E)

Risk Score

Vulnerability Score

HUANCAVELICA 93.3 9.33 19.33

AYACUCHO 88.6 8.38 17.38

HUANUCO 83.7 8.98 16.98

CAJAMARCA 85.9 8.97 16.97

APURIMAC 89.3 7.92 16.92

AMAZONAS 86.6 8.50 16.50

PASCO 81.2 9.09 16.09

PUNO 81.5 7.76 15.76

SAN MARTIN 79.3 9.04 15.04

UCAYALI 82.1 6.84 14.84

JUNIN 75.2 9.32 14.32

LORETO 81.4 6.02 14.02

CUSCO 78.4 7.88 13.88

LA LIBERTAD 73.7 8.80 13.80

ANCASH 71.2 8.39 12.37

PIURA 73.8 6.48 11.48

MADRE DE DIOS 78.2 5.19 11.19

MOQUEGUA 45.1 8.39 10.39

TACNA 52.1 8.27 10.27

AREQUIPA 48.4 8.21 10.21

ICA 48.0 8.20 10.20

LIMA 34.1 9.17 10.17

LAMBAYEQUE 65.7 6.74 9.74

TUMBES 69.3 5.69 9.69

Vulnerability

Cartography and design: Lucia Avila Bedregal | May 8, 2018 | DHP 207—GIS for International Applications | Prof.: Patrick Florance

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy | Sources: Global Risk Data Platform (UNEP), National institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI—Peru)

Rural population

Population density