Eventos naturales y crecimiento urbano informal en zonas costeras de Ecuador

Ecuador is a country susceptible and vulnerable to the threats of natural events, especially along its coastal profile. One-third of the total events recorded in Ecuador occur in the coastal margin provinces, with floods and landslides being the most frequently occurring events. Guayas, Manabí, and Esmeraldas are identified as the provinces in which the greatest number of events have been evidenced. Vulnerability to disaster threats increases if the equation includes the expansion of urban sprawl in risk areas characterized by limited access to basic services, precariousness, insecurity, and poverty. As a study objective, the main strategies adopted by Ecuador’s government to minimize both the effects derived from natural events and those generated by informal urban growth are presented. It is concluded that beyond any policy and strategy established by each government on the subject, civil society’s action and joint efforts are fundamental to establishing corrective measures, raising awareness, and modifying those habits contrary to the detriment of environmental deterioration.