Community-based adaptation: enhancing community adaptive capacity in Druadrua Island, Fiji

This article describes the process and outcomes of a pilot community-based adaptation (CBA) project implemented on Druadrua Island in Fiji. Although many people promote the use of CBA, written material about the topic is limited and poorly informed by theory or evidence. This article aims to contribute to the literature on CBA by describing the theory and process used to implement a CBA project and the changes that resulted in a small island community in the northeastern part of Fiji. The project outcomes include a renewed focus on community adaptive management of natural resources, increased awareness of climate change, and an increase in the community’s access to resources from external organizations. The article concludes with a summary of lessons learned and recommendations for future CBA projects

The effects of community based adaptation on enhancing adaptive capacity: lessons from the Koro

© 2015 Dr. Patrina DumaruThis thesis assesses the effectiveness of a community based adaptation (CBA) project in enhancing the institutional adaptive capacity of three koro communities (indigenous villages) to climate change in Fiji. The research helps to understand how adaptation projects can be better designed and implemented to respond to local needs and values while strengthening the adaptive capacity of local institutions. An in-depth understanding of the institutional dynamics in each study koro, and how these influence the outcomes of the Fiji CCA Project, was facilitated via an embedded ethnographic study. The study demonstrates that what differentiates CBA from other adaptation approaches is that it purposefully seeks to produce the kind of institutional outcomes that enable local actors to continuously mobilize collective action, inclusive decision-making and iterative learning towards immediate and long-term climate change adaptation goals

Public Perceptions of Women in Leadership- A research project of the Fiji Women's Forum, in partnership with International Women's Development Agency (IWDA)

The Fiji Women’s Forum was convened in 2012 by the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, femLINKpacific, the National Council of Women and the Soqosoqo Vakamarama iTaukei. The objective of the Fiji Women’s Forum is to give women’s organisations space to collectively develop strategies to increase the number of women elected to parliament upon a return to democratic rule. This study was commissioned under the Funding Leadership Opportunities for Women (FLOW) programme, a four year multi-country programme funded by the Government of the Netherlands, coordinated in the Pacific by the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA), and implemented in Fiji in partnership with the Fiji Women’s Forum, Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM), femLINKpacific, and Commonwealth Local Government Forum Pacific. Its purpose was to provide the Fiji Women’s Forum with information on public perceptions of leadership and women in political leadership, in order to guide and inform the Women’s Forum and constituent organisations regarding directions for voter education and advocacy for greater female representation in politics. The study comprised a survey questionnaire administered to 1211 men and women in rural and urban areas in Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, 25 focus group discussions (with a total of 187 participants) and 8 key informant interviews. This was the first study in Fiji to explore community views about women in politics and leadership more generally. The findings provide a snapshot of attitudes and perspectives prior to the September 2014 election. Some significant findings of the study include: • 81% of respondents agree that women are underrepresented in Fiji, and 72% think it would be better for the country if there were more women in national government. • Being hardworking, honest and intelligent were the three traits most frequently assessed as being absolutely essentially in a political leader. Over two thirds of respondents stated that these traits are equally true of men and women. • The vast majority of respondents deemed fluency in English (96%) and a university education (89%) to be very important or absolutely essential in a political leader. • The majority of respondents identified cultural barriers (60%), discrimination (59%) and a lack of support at community level (53%) as the major reasons why fewer women than men stand for elections, rather than a lack of education (15%) or experience (19%). • 77% of respondents would not be influenced by a candidate’s sex when casting their vote. 17% of women would prefer to vote for a woman. • 67% of respondents deem it likely or extremely likely that Fiji will have a female Prime Minister within the next ten years, and 65% said they would like to see that happen. The results of the study can be encapsulated in three key statements: 1. The majority of people in Fiji feel that women are under-represented in government and that changing this would be beneficial to the nation as a whole. 2. People recognise that the qualifications and attributes of leadership are not unique to men, but are common to both men and women. 3. Conservative viewpoints that favour male leadership are a small but significant minority in certain demographics; the strongest support for female leadership is to be found amongst women and young people. This research on perceptions of leadership generally and women’s leadership in particular provides important information about current attitudes, how these vary across the population in Fiji, and where change is happening. This will be valuable information to inform future action to support increased representation of women in politics and a baseline against which the success of such efforts can be assessed. The study draws attention to the gender bias that lies at the heart of why women are under-represented in government and the necessity for definitive action to support women’s political participation in order to better reflect the public’s desire for more gender balanced political representation

Climate Resilient Mobility: An Integrated Vulnerability Assessment of Koro Island, Lomaiviti Province.

In 2016, Category 5 Tropical Cyclone (TC) Winston passed through Fiji causing extensive damage and losses, particularly in remote islands and rural areas. Koro Island, in the Lomaiviti Province, was among the most severely impacted by TC Winston, and 13 of the 14 villages on the island were among the 63 coastal communities identified for inland relocation by the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO). In response, the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) undertook a study to provide data to inform discussions on the relocation of communities and assets away from coastal hazards on Koro Island. This report describes the process and outcomes of an integrated vulnerability assessment (IVA) conducted on the island from 8–17 June, 2016, and subsequent consultations with the communities’ Suva-based diaspora. The study included a review of secondary documents, individual surveys and focal group discussions with all 14 villages. The report comprises six key sections beginning with an introduction on the theoretical framing of coastal hazards and climate resilient mobility. This is followed by a description of the approach and methods of the study which features the integration of local and Indigenous knowledge with modern science in the analysis of climate and disaster risks linked to livelihoods, human security and social inclusivity. The report then provides the context of this study, the island of Koro, and the social and ecological factors that shape vulnerability processes there. The study findings explain how TC Winston affected each village’s livelihood assets (natural, human, infrastructure, finance and institutional) in a combination of ways that lead to impacts on human security (in terms of environment and human health and access to water, place, food, income and energy). Community perceptions of coastal hazards and relocation, from the perspective of men, women and youth were also examined in the assessment of vulnerability. A continuum of climate resilient mobility options are then proposed, based on the study findings and lessons. The report concludes with recommendations for informing climate and disaster resilient development and mobility planning, implementation and learning on Koro Island. The study highlights the significance of customary institutions and language in mediating climate-related mobility in Fiji, and the importance of holistically considering livelihoods and incorporating a participatory gender and socially inclusive approach to relocation decision-making. The importance of linking community level relocation decision-making processes to overarching sub-national, national and regional resilient sustainable development institutional frameworks for planning, monitoring and evaluation was also emphasised. The recommendations encourage a renewed focus on ecosystem-based adaptation and spatial planning, improved early warning systems and evacuation procedures, and the institutionalisation of climate change and disaster risk knowledge production processes that enable local communities to adapt to a changing environment in a participatory way. The work built upon efforts by WCS and the Lomaiviti Provincial Office between 2014–2015 to develop an ecosystem-based management plan for Koro Island, which included the establishment of a network of community tabus or marine protected areas (MPAs) within the inshore traditional fishing grounds (qoliqoli)