Bamboos are distinct and fascinating plants, with many values and uses, ranging from construction to irrigation systems, musical instruments to food and fuel. But we still know relatively little about most bamboos in the wild. As forest ecosystems shrink under human pressure, the survival of many potentially important bamboo species may be threatened. The Bamboo Diversity Report represents the first step towards planning and implementing conservation and sustainable management of bamboos in the wild, in addition to making a significant contribution to the implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, which aims to halt the current and continuing loss of plant diversity.

This paper describes some methodological aspects of the development of the Disaster Risk Index (DRI), a central component of the Reducing Disaster Risk report from the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP/BCPR 2004).