Table 1 Definition of terms
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Hazard | Threatening event within a given time period and area (United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs 1992) |
Vulnerability | Degree to which natural resources are susceptible to loss or damage on being exposed to a certain hazard (Adger 2006) |
Risk | Probability of expected loss or damage due to a particular hazard for a given area and reference period; mathematically the product of hazard and vulnerability (United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs 1992) |
Uncertainty | Situation where the current state of knowledge is incomplete due to (1) lack of information, (2) imprecision in model projections, and (3) unknown preferences in decision making (cf. Ascough et al. 2008) |