Mauritius disaster management and climate change handbook

As part of an effort to ensure that stakeholders have the best information, this Handbook provides the reader with a baseline understanding of Mauritius’ national entities involved in disaster management and climate change action. It offers an overview of the country’s people, geography, and infrastructure and details past disaster responses in addition to the country’s disaster risk reduction policies. Moreover, it examines the regional and national implications of climate change with a maps section showing potential impacts on Mauritius’ people. It is hoped that this Handbook will support planners or other personnel involved in disaster risk reduction or climate change adaptation projects alongside Mauritius’ disaster management and climate change stakeholders.

Mauritius is exposed to various hazards, and climate change is exacerbating the risk that the country will confront a catastrophe. Like other small island states, Mauritius is already experiencing more extreme events even as it works to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of both extreme events and slow-onset hazards like rising temperatures and sea levels. The government is building a disaster management structure that works alongside climate change policies and plans as part of a larger effort to make the island nation more sustainable. Its national disaster management and climate change departments and committees engage with regional and international partners to harness resources in support of realizing disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.