Implementing Climate Change Adaptation Interventions in Remote Outer Islands of the Pacific Island Region

Abstract

Many, indeed most, of the Pacific Island countries consist of extensive archipelagos, some with hundreds of islands, a proportion of which are populated. The geographical spread and distances involved pose significant challenges for development and climate change interventions in the Pacific Island region. Several regional initiatives have designed and implemented on-the-ground climate change adaptation demonstration projects, which have focused predominantly on the main island of a particular country rather than outer islands. This paper presents five case studies to illustrate the challenges encountered and approaches adopted in implementing climate change adaptation interventions in remote outer island communities. The challenges include (i) remoteness, (ii) absence and inadequacy of air and sea transport including harbours and unloading facilities, (iii) high costs, (iv) human resource constraints, and (v) the need for development indicators that reflect the uniqueness and specificity of outer island lives and livelihoods. Ways to address these challenges with specific examples of interventions in Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu are discussed in this paper. The purpose of this paper is to show to development partners working in the Pacific and to the research community that climate change adaptation interventions can be successfully implemented in remote outer island communities provided the constraints are fully recognised and accommodated in the conceptualisation and planning stages.