Nguna-Pele Marine and Land Protected Area Network & SPC-GIZ Training on Climate Change Adaptation Planning and Implementation at the Local Level
Towards a program of Incorporating Climate Change Adaptation into CTI Pacific Initiatives
23-29 August 2015
This document outlines a training program to assist Vanuatu’s village level climate change and resource management champions to fulfill their aspirations by learning from existing and successful community-based initiatives in a peer-to-peer learning format.
One of the five objectives of the ADB-supported Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) is to achieve climate change adaptation measures.[1] While climate change adaptation projects and programs are rapidly increasing their scope and coverage, there remains a lack of knowledge and skills on implementable climate change adaptation measures for coral reef and other coastal systems among Vanuatu’s island-based practitioners, which restricts upscalling of widespread action.
Climate change adaptation measures should be built into and onto exiting coastal management endeavours. But to date there has been limited incorporation of climate change adaptation into the types of coastal management activities being implemented by ni-Vanuatu communities. Successful mainstreaming requires a sound knowledge of climate changes and impacts in Pacific coastal systems as well as hands on experience with tried and tested community adaptation approaches.
To strengthen the incorporation of climate change into these endeavors and local capacity building efforts, the proposed training will provide participating ni-Vanuatu representatives with mentoring and on-site-training by experts from SPC-GIZ, Vanuatu’s award-winning Nguna-Pele Marine and Land Protected Area Network. The training will be supported by ADB in collaboration with ANZDEC.
The objectives of the training are as follows:
- Learn the extent of the exposure of Vanuatu’s coastal and marine habitats to selected Climate Change hazards;
- Understand the dynamics of the hazards and their potential impacts on the coastal and marine habitats;
- Learn the Climate Change adaptation practices appropriate to Vanuatu on the ground from local implementors
- Formulate climate change adaptation planning and implementation to be incorporated into the future ADB and other donor projects.
Design of the Training Course
Location:
- Nguna-Pele Marine and Land Protected Area Network; Republic of Vanuatu
Duration
- Five (5) Days
- 2 days -travel to and from Nguna Island
- 5 days – participatory training climate change science on coastal ecosystems and mainstreaming adaptation approaches and hands on climate change adaptation and resource management training and experience at Nguna-Pele
Dates
- 23-29 August 2015
Number of Participants
- 50+; all members of the Vanua Tai Resource Monitors Network
Key Topics:
The training will provide community representatives and partners with a sound, practical and Pacific-focused understanding of (1) the main projected effects of existing climate variability, global warming and carbon dioxide emissions on the coastal ecosystems; (2) the consequences for current and future production, food security, livelihoods and development; (3) the actions required to reduce the risks and capitalise on the opportunities; and (4) options and approaches for mainstreaming adaptation into existing and planned development and conservation initiatives;
The approach to this CC Adaptation training is based on risk. The Government of Vanuatu has mapped CC hazards in including coral bleaching, sea level rise, ocean acidification and others which will be presented to give the participants a science- based estimate of their country's and specific locations' vulnerability. All adaptation measures developed and suggested during the training will be based on vulnerability assessment. The interactive training format will allow participants to:
- Learn the extent of the exposure of various islands’ coastal and marine habitats to selected Climate Change hazards;
- Understand the dynamics of the hazards and their potential impacts on the coastal and marine habitats;
- Learn and practice concepts of risk based approaches to climate change adaptation
- Learn the Climate Change adaptation practices in the Vanuatu on the ground from local implementors
- Formulate climate change adaptation planning and implementation activities that may be incorporated in future ADB-supported projects.
[1] Coral Triangle Initiative. 2008. Regional Plan of Action. Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).