Collaboration a solution for small island developing states to address food security and economic development in the face of climate change

Abstract

Collaboration and cooperation between and across countries, communities, and individuals is critical for the capacity of social-ecological systems (SES) to respond to climate change. In Solomon Islands, the tuna fisheries' SES provides food security, income, employment, and contributes significantly to the nation's economy. However, being at the frontline of climate change impacts, the fisheries' SES is under threat, and these impacts will compound existing challenges. We explore Solomon Islands' tuna fisheries' SES resilience and vulnerability with a focus on examining efforts towards coordination, cooperation, and collaboration within the fisheries and governance framework. The research reveals a ‘Pacific-way’ of building resilience through multiple scales of collaborative and cooperative governance. Regional level collaborative forums such as the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, national fisheries programmes setting up coordination and cooperative networks, and local cooperative and coordination efforts that carry out multiple functions also build tuna fisheries' SES resilience to climate change. Western technical and top-down approaches translate into social resilience when coupled with education and outreach and leveraged upon existing grass-roots collaborative and cooperative networks. These cross-scale linkages of collaboration and adaptation strategies form resilience across multiple scales of governance. However, it is important to have a deliberate multi-scalar climate change adaptation framework.