This special issue will provide articles focused on approaches and methods aimed at improving risk management in volcanic areas. It particularly addresses this issue in the case of poorly known volcanoes. It will include papers focusing on the following:

• improving prevention tools, through the collection and acquisition of knowledge on hazard and risk and its dissemination as maps and scenarios;
• improving crisis management capabilities based on monitoring and early warning systems, as well as reliable communications systems;
• reducing people's vulnerability and developing recovery and resilience capabilities after an event has occurred for both local communities and ecological systems.

This special issue will contain research results presented as poster or oral contributions in the conference “Integrated approaches for volcanic risk management” held at Hohenheim University, Stuttgart, 11–12 September 2012. The conference was organized by the European research project MIAVITA (http://miavita.brgm.fr/default.aspx).

Other authors (not involved in these events but interested in submitting a paper) are welcome. They are encouraged to send a preliminary abstract of their paper to one of the editors of this special issue before submitting.