Abstract
Rising sea levels and associated coastal hazards will lead to the relocation of some communities away from sites of high exposure. In Fiji, several communities have already initiated relocation, with hundreds more considered in need of future relocation by the Fijian government. Yet, often relocation is viewed as an inevitable response to coastal exposure, whereby an entire community is relocated from one location (of high exposure) to another (of lesser exposure) with the assistance of an external actor, namely the State and donors. Limited research has drawn attention to the heterogenous nature of relocation (and immobility responses), and the factors that shape these diverse processes. Drawing on fieldwork undertaken across seven low-lying communities in Fiji that are facing exposure to coastal erosion, tidal inundation, and storm surges, we highlight different immobility and relocation responses that are being implemented both within and across villages. These responses can be viewed along a continuum, referred to here as the immobility-relocation continuum, and include: voluntary immobility, immobility due to restricted relocation options, incremental relocation, partial relocation, and full community relocation. We identify factors - climatic and environmental, past and current adaptations and mobilities, socio-cultural, land rights and tenure, and institutional – that shape these varied responses. This research underscores the need to expand our thinking regarding how climate-related relocation is conceptualized and implemented in policy and practice toward a nuanced understanding of (im)mobility as a form of adaptation to coastal hazard risks, accounting for diversity in local conditions, preferences, and resources available to communities.
Published Version
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