Geoethics and seismic risk perception: the case of the Pollino area, Calabria, southern Italy and comparison with communities of the past

This work is a synthesis of research into seismic risk perception in the Pollino area (southern Italy). Over the last 3 years, there has been an ongoing earthquake swarm affecting this area that straddles the border between the regions of Calabria and Basilicata. The perception of seismic risk is an important element in environmental planning. If land is considered in terms of reciprocal interaction between humans and their physical space, Geoethics can find a synthesis between humanistic and scientific knowledge with regard to the theme of disasters. Geoethics can especially help in terms of educating the population of an area about integrated risk management. It is believed that improved communications, awareness of risk complexity and levels of preparation would increase a community's resilience and allow for more effective planning. With this premise, a questionnaire was given to students in primary and secondary education, and to a sample of adults in some of the villages affected by the Pollino earthquake swarm. A comparison with people's mental representation of risk regarding great earthquakes of the past, such as those of Calabria in 1783, helps us to clarify the relationship between an extreme event and a disaster.