After natural disaster occur, it’s not uncommon for researchers to quickly head to the affected areas, looking to better understand the events and any failures that occurred during the resulting response or recovery. An article in Nature explores the pitfalls of this immediate response. While these researchers are often well intentioned, their involvement can often add to the disruption and sense of displacement felt by locals, with some nations or regions placing restrictions on scientists and engineers looking to collect data – Indonesia has imposed a special visa, and advance government approval for data collection, since the 2004 tsunami, and New Zealand imposed a moratorium on some types of research after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes.
To both minimize the further disruptions to locals, while still offering the opportunity for researchers to gain critical data, suggestions are made as to the adoption of a code of conduct. This code of conduct would include consideration like:
- Ensuring any study has a clear purpose, and fill relevant gaps in knowledge, while also working collaboratively with those affected.
- Engagement with local voices and researchers, to ensure those integrated with the community are involved in any studies, and can help direct resources to key areas, while also avoiding disrupting cultural norms and traditions.
- Establishment of communication between locals and outsiders, to prevent waste or irrelevant research.
