Pacific island regional preparedness for El Niño

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle is often blamed for disasters in Pacific island communities. From a disaster risk reduction (DRR) perspective, the challenges with the El Niño part of the ENSO cycle, in particular, are more related to inadequate vulnerability reduction within development than to ENSO-induced hazard influences. This paper analyses this situation, filling in a conceptual and geographic gap in El Niño-related research, by reviewing El Niño-related preparedness (the conceptual gap) for Pacific islands (the geographic gap). Through exploring El Niño impacts on Pacific island communities alongside their vulnerabilities, resiliences, and preparedness with respect to El Niño, El Niño is seen as a constructed discourse rather than as a damaging phenomenon, leading to suggestions for El Niño preparedness as DRR as part of development. Yet the attention which El Niño garners might bring resources to the Pacific region and its development needs, albeit in the short term while El Niño lasts. Conversely, the attention given to El Niño could shift blame from underlying causes of vulnerability to a hazard-centric viewpoint. Instead of focusing on one hazard-influencing phenomenon, opportunities should be created for the Pacific region to tackle wider DRR and development concerns

Addressing food and nutrition insecurity in the Caribbean through domestic smallholder farming system innovation

Structural conditions underlying the development of CARICOM’s two-tiered agricultural innovation system depict diverse drivers of change over time, versus institutional inertia of export-oriented formal institutions and the neglect of informal domestic markets. Key principles of taking an agroecological approach would include: supporting diversity and redundancy, building connectivity, managing slow variables and feedbacks, improving understanding of socioecological systems as complex adaptive systems, and encouraging polycentric governance systems. In this paper, we review the conditions that have been undermining sustainable food and nutrition security in the Caribbean, focusing on issues of history, economy, and innovation

Tourist sector perceptions of natural hazards in Vanuatu and the implications for a small island developing state

Tourism is a popular catalyst for socio-economic development in many small island developing states (SIDS). However, exposure to damaging natural hazards in these nations exacerbates the tourism industry's intrinsic vulnerabilities. The reliance of SIDS on the income-multiplying benefits of tourism make the sustainability of the industry imperative, but the vulnerability of tourism to natural hazards endangers this sustainability. The perception of natural hazards held by tourism managers may influence the adoption of appropriate mitigation and preparedness measures and thus, decrease vulnerability and increase sustainability. Accordingly, this paper presents the method and findings of a pilot study into the accuracy of natural hazard perceptions held by members of the tourism industry in Tanna, an island in the South West Pacific SIDS of Vanuatu. The study finds that perceptions are generally accurate within the industry. However, there is scope for improvement in the prevalence of accurate perceptions. It is recommended that this be achieved through the development and implementation of a comprehensive natural hazards awareness strategy, details of the format and structure of such a strategy are detailed within.17 page(s

Developing methods to measure the impacts of tropical cyclones in communities in Fiji

Little published detail exists regarding the range of natural hazards impacts experienced at the community level in Fiji, how these impacts interact and the cost (economic, environmental and social) they have. Impact assessments provide useful information to decision makers in all sectors, and enable them to make informed decisions regarding land-use planning, infrastructure planning and preparation for medical response. The availability of such information at a community level allows for detailed planning and can also encourage community ownership of hazard mitigation. Unfortunately, a lack of available methods to conduct such assessments hinders natural hazard planning. This paper outlines the methods to be employed in a PhD study currently underway to investigate the impacts of one natural hazard (tropical cyclones) in communities in Fiji. Methods include: interviews with members of affected communities to identify impacts; a questionnaire survey to determine the prioritisation of these impacts; and, interviews with government officials and other organisations involved in disaster management or response to collect existing data on impacts. The methods described here and the resulting data will contribute to the wider study to enhance understanding of natural hazard impacts in the communities affected. This understanding will then be used to develop processes to identify and measure impacts which can be employed before a disaster to highlight vulnerabilities (and focus mitigation), and after a disaster to direct response.11 page(s

Integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the Pacific

Integrating community-based disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) is identified at the policy and practical level as critical to aid effectiveness. Successful integration reduces both duplication of efforts and confusion at the community level, thus contributing to sustainable development. The challenges of integrating DRR and CCA are widely discussed from the global to the local level among policymakers, practitioners and academics alike. However, to date, little progress has been made in achieving practical solutions. By focusing on the governance aspects of DRR and CCA integration in the Pacific (with a particular focus on Fiji and Samoa), this study highlights potential pathways to overcome the separation of these two dynamic and overlapping fields. In applying the Earth System Governance framework as a novel analytical tool, we reveal that the issues of agency and architecture are especially significant as challenges to effectively integrating DRR and CCA. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

Integrating community based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: examples from the Pacific

It is acknowledged by academics and development practitioners alike that many common strategies addressing community based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation duplicate each other. Thus, there is a strong push to integrate the two fields to enhance aid effectiveness and reduce confusion for communities. Examples of community based disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) projects are presented to highlight some of the ways these issues are tackled in the Pacific. Various approaches are employed but all aim to reduce the vulnerability and enhance the resilience of local communities to the impacts of climate change and disasters. By focusing on three case studies, elements of best practice are drawn out to illustrate how DRR and CCA can be integrated for enhanced aid effectiveness, and also look at ways in which these two often overlapping fields can be better coordinated in ongoing and future projects. Projects that address vulnerability holistically, and target the overall needs and capacity of the community are found to be effective in enhancing the resilience of communities. By strategically developing a multi-stakeholder and multi-sector approach, community projects are likely to encapsulate a range of experience and skills that will benefit the community. Furthermore, by incorporating local knowledge, communities are far more likely to be engaged and actively participate in the project. From selected case studies, commonly occurring best practice methods to integrate DRR and CCA are identified and discussed and recommendations on how to overcome the common challenges also presented

Operational challenges to community participation in post-disaster damage assessments : observations from Fiji

Community participation is becoming increasingly popular within the field of disaster management. International disaster policies, frameworks and charters embrace the notion that communities should play an active role in initiatives to identify vulnerabilities and risks and to mitigate those dangers, and, in the event of a disaster, that they should play a proactive part in response and recovery (see, for example, UNISDR, 1994; The Sphere Project, 2004; United Nations, 2005). A number of studies have investigated the participation of communities in disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts (see, for instance, Scott-Villiers, 2000; Andharia, 2002; Godschalk, Brody and Burby, 2003), There is, however, limited reflection on the challenges to ensuring participation in the operational context of disaster response. This paper draws on a study of the policy and practice of participatory damage assessment in Fiji to identify and discuss the barriers to formal implementation of community participation in a post-disaster context.21 page(s