Climate risk management

Tourism represents a significant econoomic activity in the Pacific. It is one of the largest export sectors in the majority of the nations of the Pacific and provides great opportunties for economic growth, employment, and sustainable development. Tourism is vulnerable to a range of risks including natural hazards, economic downturns, health epidemics, market fluctuations etc. Due to its highly climate sensitive nature, Pacific tourism is identifies as a hotspot for major impacts of cliamte change that will affect tourism destinations across the region and exacerbate natural hazards, markets, and other associated risks.

The community Tourism and Climate Change component of SPC-GIZ CCCPIR project aims to strengthen the capacity of selected Pacific Island countries to cope with climate change impacts and associated risks on the community tourism sector. The main activities being undertaken include:

-National consultation workshop for integrated stakeholder engagement accross the tourism, climate change, and natural disaster management areas;

- Mapping community tourism initiatives;

- Risk analysis and vulnerability assessment of selected community tourism initiatives;

- implementations of adaptation interventions in the seleced community tourism initiatives;

- Production of an adaptation manual for community tourism in the Pacific;

- National best practive workshop

Through this three-to-five year project, C-CAP will work across 12 Pacific Island countries, collaborating with up to 90 communities on:

1.       Rehabilitating and constructing new, small-scale community infrastructure

2.       Building capacity for community engagement for disaster prevention and preparedness

3.       Integrating climate resilient policies and practices into long-term land use plans and building standards

In each community, C-CAP will work within community governance systems to:

·         Conduct community/risk mapping exercises.

·         Assess vulnerability of small-scale social, economic and water infrastructure

o   I.e., health clinics, schools, community centers, jetties, water tanks, drainage systems…

·         Name adaptation options for vulnerable infrastructure.

·         Prioritize options through a multi-criteria analysis exercise.

·         Fund one—prioritized—infrastructure rehabilitation / construction project (approx. US$50,000 per community).

·         Revisit Risk Maps to review risk to projected climate impacts—and support land use planning exercises, scaling up plans to provincial and national government.

·         Implement nature-based infrastructure activities when appropriate (mangrove reforestation, erosion control, etc.)

·         Support DRR and preparedness activities and planning.

USAID intends to implement C-CAP in two-to-three ni-Vanuatu Provinces (10-15 communities) from 2012 to 2015.  

The Pacific Risk Resilience programme (PRRP) will focus on strengthening governance mechanisms for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) at the sub-national and local levels.  The goal of the programme is: to strengthen the resilience of Pacific island communities to disasters and climate change related risk.  

Pacific Risk Resilience Programme is design to supporting and partnership with existing stakeholder’s engagements / activities with a focus on strengthening governance mechanism for Disaster Risk Management and Climate change adaptation at all levels of decision making.