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This report is based on surveys by UNEP teams in the field working with other UN agencies, governments and non governmental organizations in the effected Tsunami regions. It looks at how the regions affected are rebuilding and how future tragedy can be avoided by adequate planning.
The destruction caused by the Asian tsunami to the environment offers an opportunity to rebuild in a manner that preserves natural resources for the benefit of the local communities who were hardest hit by the disaster. Vulnerability mapping is urgently needed to pin point coastal sites where homes, hotels, factories and other infrastructure should be banned or restricted.
Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director, said: "The report underlines the importance of managing the reconstruction in an environmentally sensitive way. Buildings and other infrastructure need to be built in less vulnerable areas and to standards that will protect them and their inhabitants in the event of future tsunamis. This makes sense not only in respect to tsunamis but also with respect to storms surges, floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather events."
The report covers topics such as Waste, Water Supplies, Sanitation and Soil Fertility, Corals Reefs, Mangroves, and Wildlife, Beach erosion and Coastal Vegetation.
