River-Based Cultural Landscapes and the Challenges of Flood Disaster in the Tropics

Abstract

Cultural Landscapes are unique in their appeal not only to the host communities but more to tourists and serve more than the purpose of mere sightseeing, they are enriched with physical tangible and intangible qualities of our heritage. The history of a people are often woven around such environments because their socio-religious links are without a doubt attached to it. These sites, apart from its historical qualities contain natural elements such as rocks, hills, rivers, caves and are today developed for tourism with so much investment being committed to achieving maximum benefits of tourism. However, with the challenges of climate change and most especially flood for sites which are river-based, hopes may be dashed, and development swept away just in one episode of flood when prevention is not considered. This paper, therefore, examines the challenges of flood on such heritage sites using the Osun-Osogbo Grove as a case study. Observation method was used to gather necessary information from tour guides and frequent users of the site. It holds that in the redesign of such sites, integration of control, mitigation of flood risk and other man-made enclosures is essential to cope with the challenge and therefore prevent destruction. It then discusses some of the ways these design goals can be accomplished. It closes by recommending how the strategies can be propagated to the stakeholders.

Keywords- Cultural landscape, Disaster, Flood, Osun Osogbo Grove, Risk Control

DOI: 10.7176/JEES/9-7-06

Publication date:July 31^st 2019