Community-based adaptation
&
Communicating climate change
Solomon Islands Government
Outline
• Localising vulnerability assessments
– from regional to local knowledge
• Community-based adaptation
• Communicating climate change
• Community capacity and participation
The Challenge
Exposure
Sensitivity
Potential
impact
Adaptive
capacity
Vulnerability
?
Community-based adaptation
• Resources are often limited
• Multi-sector (e.g. fisheries, agriculture, forestry)
Use existing knowledge and
information
• Scaling down from regional to community level
• Long-term community capacity
Pathway from assessment to action
Existing knowledge and
information
• Main food sources and livelihood activities
• Important community assets & values
• Links between climate and activities
• Past response to change (e.g. natural
disasters)
• Current environmental & social issues
• Future issues (e.g. climate change, access
to markets)
Community knowledge
key activities
assets & values
Existing information
climate
resource condition
Drivers of change
current issues
climate change
Future vision
range of options
desirable
Community adaptation
actions
review & revise
Building resilient futures
Torres Strait
October 2012
A participatory approach for determining
adaptation actions and considerations for
their implementation
Pathway to Adaptation
Scoping
Fishing & farming
livelihoods:
(i) key issues
(ii) drivers of
change
Identifying
options
Evaluation of
options
Planning
implementation
(i) Current and likely
future impacts of
climate change?
(i) Describe
adaptations and
their cost
(i)
(ii) Desirable future
for farming and
fishing
(ii) People,
organisations and
institutions to
facilitate
adaptations
(ii) Social, economic
or environmental
triggers to start
implementing
(iii) Adaptation
actions to
address impacts
and reach desired
future
(iii) Likely impact of
the adaptations
on the natural
resource
Best adaptations
to employ
Current climate
How do current trends in temperature and rainfall affect fishing and farming activities?
Source: S. Park (WFC)
Future: options & vision
Community knowledge
key activities
assets & values
Existing information
climate
resource condition
Drivers of change
current issues
climate change
Future vision
range of options
desirable
Community adaptation
actions
review & revise
Communicating climate change
• Raise awareness of climate change to assist with
decision-making & planning
• Understand climate change issues and concepts before
talking to others
• Community needs to understand and support
adaptation activities
• Link to local culture, environment and social context
(e.g. high dependence on fish for food)
• Find ways to include climate change into existing
initiatives (e.g. EAFM)
• Build on people’s knowledge and experiences
Communication tools
• Workshops – village, schools, youth and
women’s groups, council meetings
• Videos – awareness programs, target
difference ages, language groups
• Media – Newspaper, TV, radio
• Information sheets & posters
• Interactive activities – poster competitions,
open days, school quizzes, radio talk shows
KEEP MESSAGES SIMPLE
Communicating: posters/notices
Communicating: books
Lobster life cycle
Communicating: present
Communicating: the future
Community participation
Challenges
• Communicating complex concepts in simple language
• Building local capacity and maintaining motivation
• Working with remote communities
• Self governance takes longer but often more effective
than regulation
Conclusions
• Incorporate traditional knowledge into
adaptation strategies
• Work across scales (local, national, regional) and
sectors (fisheries, forestry, agriculture)
• Largely participatory; building local capacity
• Rapid and action-orientated
Local knowledge provides relevance
Thank you
j.johnson@c2o.net.au