Implications, adaptations & policies
for food security and livelihoods
Solomon Islands Government
Based on…..
Where are we in the programme?
Projected changes to
atmospheric and oceanic
conditions
Ecosystems supporting fish
Fish stocks/aquaculture species
Implications for economic
development, food security and
livelihoods
Adaptations and policies to reduce
threats and capitalise on
opportunities
Outline
• Factors affecting availability of fish for food

Reef area, population growth, climate change
• Implications for food security

Relative importance of population growth and
climate change
• Win-win adaptations
• Supporting policies
Plans to use fish for food security
• Provide 35 kg of fish per
person per year
• Maintain traditional fish
consumption where it is
>35 kg
Solomon Islands
• 33 kg of fish per person
per year
Where does most fish come from?
• Coastal fisheries / coral reefs,
mangroves and sea grasses
Photos: Eric Clua, Gary Bell, Christophe Launay
The problem!

Sustainable catches from most reefs
are unknown
Solution: use median estimate of 3
tonnes per km2 per year
Coral reef area in Solomon Islands
Country
Fiji
New Caledonia
Land area
(km2)
18,272
Reef area
(km2)
10,000*
19,100
35,925
462,243
22,200*
Solomon Islands
27,556
8,535
Vanuatu
11,880
1,244
PNG
Annual coastal fish production (mt)
Reef area (km2)
Reef fish
Fw fish
Total
8,535
25,605
2000
27,605
• Population in 2010 was 550,000
~ 46 kg of fish per person per year
Factors affecting availability of fish
• Population growth
Year
Population
2010
550,000
2035
970,000
2050
1,180,000
2100
1, 970,000
Source: SPC Statistics for Development Programme
Effects of population growth on availability
of fish per person
2035
2050
2100
Effects of climate change
Today
2035 (-2 to -5%)
2050 (-20%)
2100 (-20 to -50%)
Additional effects of climate change
Effects of population growth
Additional effects of climate change
Adaptations
• Must minimise and then fill the gap
Poorly-managed fisheries
Quantity of fish/habitat
a)
Fish needed by
growing population
Fish habitat
Fish
Fish available
available from
from
coastal
stocks
stocks
Gap in supply of
fish to be filled
Time
Well-managed fisheries
Quantity of fish/habitat
b)
Fish needed by
growing population
Fish habitat
Fish available from
stocks
Fish available from
coastal stocks
Time
Adaptation decision framework
Addresses climate change
Near-term Loss
Near-term Gain
Addresses present drivers
Long-term Loss
Lose-Lose
Long-term Gain
Lose-Win
X
X
Win-Lose

Win-Win
X


x
X
After Grafton (2010)
Adaptations to minimise gap
L-L
W-L
L-W
Win-win adaptations
W-W
Improves resilience of
coral reef, mangrove
and seagrass habitats
Manage and restore vegetation
cover in catchments
L-L
W-L
L-W
Win-win adaptations
W-W
Maintaining spawning
adults will help ensure
replenishment and build
resilience of key species
Sustain production of fish
stocks
Adaptations to fill gap
How best to fill the gap?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Fish needed for food security tonnes (x1000)
Coastal fisheries
Freshwater fisheries
Pond aquaculture
Tuna
L-L
W-L
L-W
W-W
Win-win adaptations
Store and distribute tuna and
bycatch from industrial fleets
to urban areas
L-L
W-L
L-W
W-W
Win-win adaptations
Increase access to tuna with
anchored inshore Fish
Aggregating Devices (FADs)
L-L
L-W
W-L
W-W
Win-win adaptations
Improve post-harvest methods
Photo: Jocelyn Carlin
L-L
W-L
L-W
W-W
Win-win adaptations
Develop pond aquaculture in
rural and peri-urban areas
Photo: Ben Ponia
L-L
L-W
W-L
W-W
Win-win adaptations
?
Develop coastal fisheries for
small pelagic species
Photo: Nathalie Behring
Other adaptations
L-L
L-W
W-L
W-W
Provide for landward migration
of coastal fish habitats
Other adaptations
L-L
L-W
W-L
W-W
Reduce and diversify catches
of demersal fish
Greater focus on herbivorous fish
Other adaptations
L-L
L-W
W-L
W-W
Allow for expansion of freshwater
fish habitats
Suggested supporting policies
• Strengthen governance of agriculture, forestry and
mining practices to prevent soil loss and pollution,
to safeguard fish habitats and water quality
• Minimise barriers to migration of coastal and
freshwater habitats
• Promote mangrove replanting programmes
• Apply ‘primary fisheries management’ to coastal
and freshwater stocks to maintain their potential
for replenishment
Suggested supporting policies
• Restrict export of demersal fish to retain them for
national food security
• Increase access to tuna for the food security by
reducing national allocations to industrial fleets
• Capitalise on opportunities for freshwater pond
aquaculture
• Limit farming of Nile tilapia to catchments where
tilapia species are already established, or there is a
shortage of fish
Key investments
 Surveys of best sites for installing inshore FADs
 Programmes to install and maintain FADs
 Identify prime locations for peri-urban and rural
pond aquaculture
 Hatcheries and networks to deliver juveniles
Evaluate merits of micro-credit schemes to develop
fisheries around FADs; expand pond aquaculture;
and scale-up post-harvest processing
Conclusions
• Win-win adaptations are available to reduce
risks and capitalise on opportunities
• Supporting policies and investments are needed
• Integrate adaptations and policies and
investments into national strategies and action
plans for climate change, including communitybased actions supported by partners