Sandra Paula Villacorta Chambi

Disaster risk management (DRM) in Peru remains constrained by fragmented governance, rapid informal urban expansion, and limited integration of geoscientific evidence into territorial planning. Recurrent impacts from earthquakes, landslides, floods, and debris flows demonstrate that predominantly technocratic and response-oriented approaches are insufficient to reduce risk in complex geodynamic settings. This paper proposes a geoethics-based framework for disaster risk management that strengthens engineering practices by embedding ethical principles, responsibility, transparency, equity, and prevention into decision-making processes. Building on the IAEG–IAPG Peru White Paper and the Sendai Framework Midterm Review, the study analyses structural, institutional, and technical gaps that hinder the effective use of hazard and risk information in Peru. The analysis shows that risk is not solely driven by natural hazards, but by cumulative interactions between geological processes, land-use decisions, and governance failures. Inconsistent methodologies, limited data interoperability, and weak enforcement of planning regulations contribute to the siting of settlements and infrastructure in high-hazard areas. From an engineering perspective, geoethics functions as a quality-control mechanism, reinforcing the obligation to apply scientifically robust methods, communicate uncertainty, and uphold duty of care in public safety–critical decisions. The proposed framework integrates geoethical principles with strategic actions in governance, territorial planning, geoscience education, and stakeholder engagement. Its implementation supports a shift toward prevention-oriented, socially accountable, and resilience-focused DRM. While grounded in the Peruvian context, the framework can be applied to other high-risk regions in Latin America and beyond, facing similar governance and geodynamic challenges.

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Knowledge Graphs (KGs) offers a structured pathway to formalize and operationalize geoscientific knowledge for georisk assessment. This study presents an ontology-guided framework for constructing domain-specific KGs from heterogeneous and predominantly unstructured documentation. Unlike open information extraction approaches, the proposed methodology uses a controlled geo-schema that constrains entity recognition and relation extraction to predefined ontological classes and canonical predicates, ensuring semantic consistency, causal plausibility, and engineering interpretability. The workflow follows a modular extraction–transformation–loading (ETL) architecture combining domain-adapted Named Entity Recognition, ontology-constrained triple generation, expert-in-the-loop validation, and graph deployment in a Neo4j environment. The approach is demonstrated through a case study in the Chillón, Rímac, and Lurín watersheds (Lima, Peru), where 20 technical documents were processed to generate a semantically structured knowledge graph encoding hazards, geological processes, triggering factors, exposed elements, and mitigation measures. Results show that ontology-driven constraints significantly reduce semantic noise and improve relation validity, enabling multi-hop reasoning across causal and spatial dependencies. Rather than producing predictive susceptibility maps, the resulting KG functions as an epistemic infrastructure that enhances traceability, explainability, and interoperability within georisk workflows. The framework contributes to the digital transition of engineering geology by providing a reproducible and FAIR-aligned semantic layer capable of supporting decision-oriented hazard analysis and integration with advanced analytical systems.

This paper examines the role of women engineering geologists and geoscientists in disaster risk management (DRM) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), giving insights into how equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) influence technical performance, governance, and long-term resilience in hazard-prone contexts. The review analyses selected country cases (Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru), complemented by regional evidence from Brazil and Mexico, and draws on policy documents, institutional reports, professional initiatives, and applied community-based projects. The review indicates that women professionals contribute to DRM not only through technical expertise in geohazard assessment and mitigation but also by sustaining continuity in territorial engagement, facilitating communication between technical and non-technical actors, and strengthening the social legitimacy of risk management measures. Across the analysed cases, women engineers frequently occupy bridging roles that connect scientific evidence, local knowledge, and institutional decision-making, enhancing the effectiveness and durability of geotechnical interventions. This review of cases also identifies persistent constraints that affect both equity outcomes and engineering practice. These include the underrepresentation of women in senior and decision-making positions, fragmented implementation of EDI initiatives, and limited availability of gender-disaggregated and longitudinal workforce data. Such factors reduce institutional capacity for knowledge retention, monitoring, and adaptive risk governance. The findings indicate that inclusive participation, geoethical practice, and professional networks should be understood as core components of effective engineering geology and DRM. Strengthening gender-responsive data systems, leadership pathways, and professional coordination mechanisms is therefore essential to improve technical outcomes and societal resilience in the LAC region.

Engineering and geoscientific projects implemented in socially sensitive and risk-prone territories frequently experience operational disruption despite technically robust designs. This study examines how the timing, structure, and professionalisation of communication influence engineering and research performance in such contexts. Using a comparative qualitative design, six Peruvian cases spanning mining, infrastructure, geoscientific research, and risk management were analysed under comparable conditions of geological uncertainty and social vulnerability. Communication was operationalised through five theory-informed variables, timing, dialogic depth, structural embedding, translation of uncertainty, and continuity, assessed using an ordinal scoring rubric to enable systematic cross-case comparison. The results show that cases characterised by late-stage, fragmented, or compliance-oriented communication consistently experienced negative performance outcomes, including project cancellation, suspension of field activities, implementation delays, security exposure for technical teams, and limited institutional uptake, despite sound technical assessments. In contrast, cases where communication was embedded early, institutionalised, and supported by specialised communication and social-science professionals maintained operational continuity and demonstrated improved alignment between technical risk assessments and stakeholder understanding. By explicitly contrasting unsuccessful and successful trajectories, the study demonstrates that communication functions as a performance-modulating governance variable rather than a peripheral dissemination activity. Based on the findings, a five-phase operational framework is proposed to embed communication across engineering and geoscientific project cycles. The framework identifies when and why multidisciplinary communication expertise is required to reduce socio-territorial risk and protect engineering and research performance in complex environments.

Geosites and geoheritage are key resources for civic education, environmental awareness, and territorial understanding, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), regions of exceptional geological richness but limited institutionalization of geoconservation. In Peru, despite advances such as the UNESCO Global Geopark of Colca, a weak integration persists between geological heritage and national educational systems. This study adapts an international methodology for the functional assessment of geosites to the Peruvian context, producing a practical, replicable, and scalable tool for settings with limited institutional resources. The multicriteria approach evaluates seven functional variables, including target audience, accessibility, landscape diversity, and educational potential, focusing on educational and geotouristic dimensions. The assessment was applied to five representative geosites: Cordillera Negra, Pongo de Rentema, Añashuayco ashlar quarries and terraces in the Chili Valley, Nevado Coropuna, and Georuta Miraflores–Huaquis, complemented by interdisciplinary validation using the “8G” model and expert consensus via a modified Delphi process. Results highlight the high educational potential of these sites and underscore the value of integrating geoheritage assessment into geoscience teaching. Future challenges include expanding regional validation, systematizing educational criteria, and strengthening collaboration with local communities and managers, contributing to more effective and socially embedded geoconservation across LAC.

La comunicación digital ha transformado las dinámicas de divulgación científica, facilitando que organizaciones dedicadas a las Geociencias amplíen su alcance e interactúen con audiencias más diversas. En este contexto, las redes sociales emergen como herramientas estratégicas, cuya efectividad depende del uso adecuado de formatos, métricas e intereses del público objetivo. Este estudio analiza el caso de la sección peruana de la Asociación Internacional para la Promoción de la Geoética (IAPG, por sus siglas en inglés), una organización sin fines de lucro que promueve las Geociencias, explorando el impacto de su estrategia de redes sociales mediante un enfoque mixto que incluyó revisión bibliográfica, análisis cualitativo de contenido en las cuentas de Facebook, Instagram y YouTube de dicha organización, aplicación del análisis FODA y construcción de una proto-persona para guiar el diseño de contenidos. Los resultados muestran que la combinación de contenidos visuales, narrativas temáticas y elementos emocionales favorece la participación y fortalece la identidad digital institucional. Además, se evidenció un crecimiento sostenido en el alcance e interacción con la audiencia, alineado con tendencias observadas en organizaciones internacionales de perfil similar. Se concluye que las redes sociales, cuando se gestionan de forma estratégica, no solo amplifican la visibilidad de disciplinas científicas, sino que contribuyen a la construcción de comunidades digitales activas. Se recomienda extender este enfoque a otras plataformas, públicos y contextos institucionales, con miras a fortalecer la comunicación científica mediante estrategias personalizadas, multiformato y centradas en el usuario.

Este artículo explora el concepto de geoética y su aplicación en la práctica profesional de las geociencias. La geoética involucra la investigación y reflexión sobre los valores y principios que sustentan los comportamientos apropiados dondequiera que las acciones humanas interactúen con el sistema terrestre. Aboga por soluciones a los problemas de la interacción humano-Tierra y contribuye a la protección de la humanidad y de los ciudadanos en el ámbito profesional y en la vida cotidiana. Luego de una evaluación de la problemática geoética común en América Latina, proporcionando ejemplos de tres países sudamericanos: Perú, Chile y Brasil. Se discute la acción sinérgica de la comunidad geocientífica en la promoción de un marco geoético. Se destaca la necesidad de análisis transparentes, cuantitativos, racionales y repetibles para asegurar un alto nivel de profesionalismo en la realización de estudios en geociencias. Se enfatiza además la importancia de proporcionar modelos a seguir para geocientíficos jóvenes y principiantes y la correcta difusión de información geocientífica al público en general. La capacidad de comunicarse de manera efectiva es un requisito fundamental para formar ingenieros geólogos y geocientíficos capaces de abordar problemas globales como la gestión ambiental, los riesgos geológicos y la transición energética. Adicionalmente, se propone la implementación de la geoética en las carreras de ingeniería geológica y geociencias para promover la responsabilidad social y ambiental entre las y los jóvenes graduados y científicos que inician su carrera, a fin de prevenir prácticas profesionales negativas y mejorar la visibilidad de las geociencias y sus beneficios para la sociedad. El artículo concluye llamando al involucramiento de los geocientíficos en las políticas públicas para la protección del patrimonio geológico y la promoción de los valores geoéticos, así como la creación de un grupo profesional para desarrollar y promover la didáctica de las geociencias para mejorar la calidad educativa en el campo.

Large debris flows in steep-sloped ravines debouching to the Rimac River, in metropolitan Lima (Peruvian capital), have resulted in considerable loss of life and property adversely impacting communities in the region. Temporal, spatial and volumetric features of debris flows are difficult to predict, and it is of utmost importance that achievable management solutions are found to reduce the impact of these catastrophic events. The emotional and economic toll of these debris flows on this increasingly densely populated capital city in South America is devastating where communities must live in such inadequate and dangerous conditions. To address this problem, the application of advanced Japanese technology, Sustainable Actions Basin Orientation (SABO), has been investigated using a geomorphological modelling to develop an implementation plan. Rayos de Sol stream basin in Chosica, was selected as a pilot to develop the proposal, as it is considered high risk due to the presence of ancient debris flows and recent flows in 2012, 2015 and 2017. The recurrence of debris flows in this location has resulted in numerous deaths and catastrophic property losses. This study combines geologic and geomorphic mapping and hydraulic and landform evolution numerical modelling. The implementation of a SABO Master Plan based on the multidisciplinary assessment hazard scenarios, will allow the implementation of feasible mitigation actions. The SABO technology has been applied successfully in Japan and other countries in areas with steep short slopes, similar to the conditions surrounding the Peruvian capital. Results from this study will be presented to the Peruvian Government as part of an action plan to manage debris-flow impact.