Asia Pacific Islands
Climate Related Change
Low-lying, cash-strapped small Island states are among the most vulnerable nations in the world to climate change. Real-life impacts of increased storm surges, changes in seasonal weather patterns and king tides that wash over whole islands present everyday challenges, while small islands have a unique exposure to sea level rise, from which they cannot run.
Community Values at Risk
Natural Solutions at Work
The Conservancy supports climate-resilient coastal development through smart planning and investments in natural infrastructure that recognize the role of forests and reefs in supporting resilient ecosystems and communities.
Solutions range from solar energy and oyster farming to better fisheries and marine management, mangrove restoration and forest and reef conservation.
From Science to Action
With funding from the Australian International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative, the Conservancy is helping build the resilience of island people in the Asia-Pacific Region by blending local knowledge and cutting-edge science to inform plans for the future.
Through this project, several communities in the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have taken their destiny into their own hands. They are creating participatory videos developing 3D models, and reenergizing time-honored traditions to raise awareness about climate impacts, visualize their lands and waters and identify solutions.
More Information
On Namdrik atoll, home to 600 Marshallese Islanders, the people are going back to basics, back to traditions and back to a sustainable pathway for development. Protecting and restoring shoreline vegetation is helping stave off erosion; reef protection and waste management is helping the lagoon and its fish recover; replanting native fruit and medicinal trees is helping provide nutrition and protection from the elements. The community themselves are instigating solar energy and rainwater harvesting projects, and learning to farm pearl oysters as an alternative income source. Young people are re-learning the ancient arts of canoe building, sailing and navigation to save fuel for near-shore fishing trips and inter-island travel.
You can read an interview with the Atoll leader here: http://community.eldis.org/climatecommunity/.59deef8e/.5a4706a4
On Ahus Island, TNC helped the Mbupi community to make their own documentary about the issues they are facing, and to help raise concerns from within the community to share and discuss with the island elders. This ‘participatory video’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsjppJX8Vic&feature=youtu.be has helped people become involved in planning for their future, as the community and local leaders help develop climate change adaptation plans and implement priority actions – these include better fisheries and marine management, as well as mangrove restoration. Whether these actions are enough, time will tell, but the people of Ahus are informed and mobilized, taking control of their destiny.
In BoeBoe village, Solomon Islands, TNC and the local partner, the Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Community involved all people in the settlement to come together and make a physical relief model of their lands and waters. This impressive, 3D carton and paint construction, made to scale, allowed everyone, from the young boys to the elderly grandmothers, to ‘see’ their lands and understand how climate change may affect their society, environment and livelihoods.
The 3D modeling activity can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOL2CdCfRts&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
The model allowed local knowledge of the area to be complemented by climate science to help inform decision-making over what course of action to take, including both forest and reef conservation areas to provide more resilient ecosystems as part of their strategy for adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Media
When Moving Is Not an Option, PlanetChange blog, January 17, 2012
Partners
- Marshall Islands Conservation Society (WAM): Work in Marshall Islands
- Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Communities: Work in Solomon Islands
- SeaWeb: Community education/outreach
- Partners with Melanesians: Participatory three dimensional modeling and institutional capacity-building
- For Greenies: Participatory video/film making – Film crew
- University of Queensland: Low cost methods for Sea level rise inundation mapping and modeling, support for conservation planning in the Ridges to Reef protected area planning In Manus
- University of Otago: Cultural Heritage mapping
- Wollongong University
Reports
The Regional Climate Change Early Action Plan:
