The Fourth Japan-Austria Technical Conference on Sediment Disaster Risk Management
Online Conference
June 28, 2022
The Japan-Austria Technical Conference on Sediment Disaster Risk Management was held on June 28, 2022.
This conference has been held alternately in Japan and Austria since the first session was held in May 2017, and this is the fourth session. Originally, this session was scheduled to be held in Japan in 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed for one year and held online this year.
The participating organizations from the two countries are as follows:
○Japan: Sabo Department, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT); Sabo Department, National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM); Erosion and Sediment Control Research Group, Public Works Research Institute (PWRI); Niigata University; Utsunomiya University; International Sabo Association
○Austria: Directorate Torrent and Avalanche Control and Protective Forest Policy, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism (BMLRT); Austrian Service for Torrent and Avalanche Control (WLV); Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW); University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)
At the beginning of the conference, Mr. Mikami, Director-General of the Sabo Department, MLIT gave a keynote speech entitled “Overview and Strategy of Sediment Disaster Risk Management”, and Mr. RUDOLF-MIKLAU, Director-General of the Directorate Torrent and Avalanche Control and Protective Forest Policy, BMLRT gave a keynote speech entitled “Climate and Risks in High-mountain Regions”.
In addition, Mr. Hideaki Marui, Professor Emeritus of Niigata University, who has been contributing to academic and technological exchanges on sabo (erosion and sediment control) with Austria for many years, gave a short speech.
Next, we reported our latest approaches on the following four individual themes common to the two countries, and then exchanged opinions.
･Measures against sediment disasters based on the impact of climate change
･Sediment monitoring technology
･Debris flow analysis technology
･Measures against avalanches
The participants exchanged important opinions on natural disasters caused by climate change which is a global common issue, and shared recognition on the importance of promoting the measures against avalanches, which are common to both counties, on the tangible and intangible aspects.
At the end of the conference, the two counties exchanged the minutes that stated the agreement to continue discussions on administrations, researches, and technologies related to sediment disaster prevention and to hold the next meeting which will be hosted by Austria in 2024. At the same time, the Austrian side gave a comment of hoping for face-to-face opinion exchange in Austria next time.
Photo-1: Opening address by Mikami, Director-General of the Sabo Department, MLIT
Photo-2: Keynote speech by RUDOLF-MIKLAU, Director-General of the Directorate Torrent and Avalanche Control and Protective Forest Policy, BMLRT
Photo-3: Group photo of the conference attendees