I am pleased to introduce the web page of the forthcoming Cities on Volcanoes (CoV) conference, to be held at Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) from May 31 to June 4, 2010 (CoV6-Tenerife 2010). Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to the Comission of Cities and Volcanoes (CaV) of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) for selecting Tenerife as the site for the sixth meeting of CoV. I would like also to thank the support that CoV6-Tenerife 2010 has received from numerous local, regional, national and international organizations and institutions. Tenerife is an active volcanic and densely populated island; therefore, the right place to run an open scientific and technical discussion on volcanic risk management in densely populated areas. In addition, CoV6-Tenerife 2010 will be also an ideal forum to discuss about the plus side of living in active volcanoes since the short-term hazards posed by volcanoes are strongly balanced by benefits of volcanism over geologic time. Tenerife is a fantastic destination for volcano lovers and tourism. From the coast up to the summit of Teide, a Decade Volcano and World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Tenerife is a universe of marked contrasts where you can find the perfect place to fill your holidays with unforgettable moments. Therefore, CoV6- Tenerife 2010 is the opportunity and the break that you deserve to discuss and enjoy about the relationship between cities and volcanoes.
 

IAVCEI welcomes all participants to this conference held on a slope of the highest volcano in the Atlantic Ocean. The Cities on Volcanoes (CoV) conference has grown as the second largest IAVCEI meeting next to the general assembly, due to the efforts by the Cities and Volcanoes commission and host organizations, under the international social demand to reduce natural disasters. The conference is one of the important activities of IAVCEI for reducing risks from volcanic eruptions in the world. This goal will not be fulfilled without involvement of people living on and around volcanoes. In this decade, the activity of CoV has successfully created valuable and strong interaction among volcanologists, non-volcanology scientists, engineers, city planners and local communities on and around volcanoes. I hope that information exchange and discussion in this conference would become a starting point of substantial actions for reduction of volcanic disasters over the world.
 

On behalf of the Cities and Volcanoes Commission of IAVCEI we are pleased to support the upcoming Cities on Volcanoes conference. The commission was established in 2001 to provide a linkage between the volcanology community and emergency managers, to serve as a conduit for exchange of ideas and experience between "volcano cities", and promote multi-disciplinary applied research, involving the collaboration of physical and social scientists and city officials. The CoV conferences have been the commission´s principal activity and we are delighted to see the continuation of the series in Tenerife. The growing impact of disasters worldwide highlights the urgent need to find new ways of creating and sustaining disaster resilient communities. This conference will serve as an important meeting to explore ways to reduce future volcanic impacts.