Caribbean small island developing states must incorporate water quality and quantity in adaptive management of the water-energy-food nexus

Abstract

The 10 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Caribbean in this study have unsustainable water-energy-food Nexus conditions, with stress becoming more acute via climate change, population demographics and increasing tourist demands. Water resources are limited, and wastewater treatment is inadequate or missing. Nature-based solutions (NBS), especially constructed wetlands, are effective treatment options for all SIDS and have added value for recreation, conservation and product development. On islands with abundant rainfall, NBS treated water adds little to total water resources, but can be important for small scale agriculture. Rainwater harvesting is an important alternative water source for individual households and small communities, but water reuse from tourist infrastructure has the greatest potential for SIDS to reach water sustainability, while protecting coastal waters from sewage pollution. Tourism is a two-edged sword. It swells populations and associated water demand significantly and can degrade coastal waters if wastes are not treated effectively. However, a partnership among the tourist industry, local communities and national government must be given top priority to ensure sustainability of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus in the face of progressively increasing tourist numbers and pressures. Effective governance is needed at the island and regional level to develop sound adaptative management approaches for sustainability.

Participatory justice and climate adaptation for water management in Small Island Developing States: a systematic literature review and discussion

“…Abstract and title screening undertaken by two authors further reduced this total to 372 sources. The application of inclusion and exclusion criteria was undertaken by all three authors with discussions taking place to reach consensus on sources that one or more authors identified as potential exclusions, resulting in a total of 62 sources, with an additional five opportunistically included from outside the review (Crisman & Winters 2023;Davies 2016;Tanavud 2007;Veron et al 2019;Walker 2019) due to the authors' knowledge of these sources and their high level of relevance, and a further thirteen included from outside the review (Duvat et al 2021;Granderson & Leotaud 2021;Herrera Arango et al 2022;Hiwasaki et al 2015;Kalaidjian and Robinson 2022;Kepel et al 2023;Longman et al 2022;Love et al 2023;Mercer et al 2012;Mustelin et al 2013;Nalau et al 2018;Weir et al 2017;Werners et al 2021) recommended through the peerreview process, resulting in a total of 79 sources informing the results and discussion. Figure 1 outlines the PRISMA flow diagram.…”

“…A study by Mercer and colleagues (2012) highlights the value of Ecosystem-based Adaptation informed by local or indigenous knowledge. Crisman and Winters (2023) also note that constructed wetlands (a type of Ecosystem-based Adaptation) are effective for providing treatment of wastewater, with added benefits of recreation and ecosystem conservation. However, Weir et al ( 2017) note that through urban migration, much local knowledge is being lost, or becoming ineffective, as those able-bodied for implementation now reside in loose communities around urban centres.…”

‘Kesho’ Scenario Development for Supporting Water-Energy Food Security under Future Conditions in Zanzibar

“…Despite this need, there are a limited number of emergent studies exploring future options to support a sustainable water-energy-food nexus in small islands [12,18,19]. Even then, the studies tended to focus on broad system levels and did not capture more in-depth local interactions.…”

Local perspectives on marine ecotourism development in a water-insecure island region: the case of Bocas del Toro, Panama

“…To our knowledge there exist few studies that sit at the intersection of marine ecotourism and water insecurity in island regions specifically; less so those that are guided by, and draw conclusions from, the experiences of those individuals that most closely feel their impacts. As the push for blue economic development continues to grow (Cisneros-Montemayor et al, 2021;Pace et al, 2023), and water insecurity becomes increasingly prevalent in climate-vulnerable regions (Winters et al, 2022;Crisman and Winters, 2023), failing to capture how the two intersect and are felt at the community level could pose risks of conducting research with communities as the 'subject' rather than active participants and beneficiaries of the research process (Israel et al, 2019), and/or informing policies that do not capture the nuances of community interests and needs (Freudenberg and Tsui, 2014;Cisneros-Montemayor et al, 2019).…”