Bridging science and policy for geohazard management in Ibero-America through Geological and Mining Surveys

Ibero-America ranks among the world’s most vulnerable regions to geohazards, where landslides, rockfalls, debris flows, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions have caused not only severe economic losses, but also thousands of fatalities. In this context, the members of the Association of Ibero-America’s Geological and Mining Surveys (ASGMI) play a key role in bridging science and policy to address these challenges. ASGMI’s Expert Group on Geohazards (GEAG) collaborates in the E4PIGEO project, an initiative designed to strengthen cooperation among Geological and Mining Surveys (SGMI), researchers, and institutions to transfer expert knowledge to decision-makers and improve risk management strategies.To achieve this objective, four strategic actions have been proposed: (A1) Connect and strengthen collaborations with Ibero-American scientific institutions to promote a culture based on Evidence for Policy (E4P) activities. (A2) Develop an observational study of geohazards in Ibero-America to contextualize the problem and analyze current public policies aimed at mitigating their effects. (A3) Analyze internal science-policy connection mechanisms within SGMI as multidisciplinary scientific organizations and evaluate how innovative knowledge generated by these institutions is considered (A4) Propose training programs to support the education of technicians and researchers in E4P for geohazards.These actions aim to reduce structural gaps and promote evidence-based decision-making through the development of a regional database and map of geohazard events; advancing common proposals for improving policy briefs and guidelines that integrate geoscientific evidence into territorial planning and emergency protocols; strengthening institutional frameworks and promoting the establishment of standardized protocols for science–policy engagement; and implementing capacity-building programs and strategic dialogues to consolidate knowledge transfer.This abstract was supported by the E4PIGEO project -Towards Evidence-Based Policies: Geohazard Management in Ibero-America in a Climate Change Context-, funded by Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (Ref: LINCG24021), and developed within the framework of the Association of Ibero-American Geological and Mining Surveys (ASGMI).