From community-based to locally led adaptation: Evidence from Vanuatu

Westoby, Ross; McNamara, Karen E.; Kumar, Roselyn; Nunn, Patrick D.

doi:10.1007/s13280-019-01294-8

Cited by 74 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Four multi-dimensional and interdependent optimization points were identified as key contents of the toolbox for improving future CBA. They also point to the need to rethink CBA as more than merely being 'based' in communities or having community 'consultation', but instead, as something that is wholly 'led' by local people and local institutions 43 . This is critical as, despite genuine attempts to better integrate contextual specificities, initiatives across high to low performing groups demonstrated a tendency to still be top-down in nature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is because alternative scales may be critical for building social capital and optimizing shared access and/or benefit (e.g. approaches based on landscape, 'whole-of-island', ecosystems, local institutions or particular population groups) 42,43 . Basing initiatives on geographic community parameters (which was most common) occasionally excluded certain groups and/or inflamed internal disputes.…”

Section: Shared Access To and Benefit From Initiativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Basing initiatives on geographic community parameters (which was most common) occasionally excluded certain groups and/or inflamed internal disputes. This reminds us of the elusiveness of 'communities' and how the 'framing' of a 'community' imposed by implementing agencies may not equally benefit intended participants 42,43 , likely due to uncritical assumptions about homogeneity 4,30,40 . 'Community' boundaries and scales should be understood as complex and contextually dependent 24,40 .…”

Section: Shared Access To and Benefit From Initiativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Relevant here is the higher performance among locally-funded initiatives compared to those funded internationally. This may be because locally-funded initiatives are more likely to be designed and driven by people familiar with local contexts and sociocultural nuances, as opposed to outsiders who may have prescriptive funding conditions 43 and set the agenda of (ineffective and unsustainable) work 45,46 . This is still, however, one step away from being driven by the communities themselves.…”

Section: Integration Of Local Realitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An assessment of community-based adaptation initiatives in the Pacific Islands

et al. 2020

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Community-based adaptation, in principle, leverages existing local knowledge, capabilities, and priorities.Although there is an increase in adaptation activities in the Pacific region, it remains uncertain whether these are effectively promoting long-term adaptive capacity. Here we evaluate the performance of 32 community-based adaptation initiatives across 20 rural communities in the Pacific Islands. We find that initiative appropriateness was a strength while sustainability was a consistent issue; locally-funded initiatives and those implemented by non-governmental organisations were more likely to perform better; climate-awareness raising initiatives and those integrated with ecosystem-based adaptation performed best. We also identify four interdependent optimization points for future community-based adaptation initiatives: local approval and ownership; shared access to and benefit from initiatives; integration of local realities; and systems-thinking and forward planning. Our analysis suggests a need for a praxis shift whereby adaptation is locally-led, communities drive their own agendas, and donors and implementers become facilitators that resource the diverse capacities of communities.The Pacific Islands are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, despite having contributed little to its causes 1 . With projections showing that island communities will continue to face worsening climate change impacts over the remainder of this century and beyond, understanding what successful adaptation looks like for the Pacific Islands is urgent 2,3 . Significant donor-funded adaptation investment means efforts have already been carried out, with the Pacific receiving the highest per capita climate aid globally 2 , a focus likely to be maintained at least in the short term 3 .With growing understanding of diminishing returns resulting from top-down climate change responses, assistance is increasingly being delivered at the local scale through bottom-up responses such as community-based adaptation (CBA) 4,5 . CBA is an approach that is small-scale, place-based and grassroots driven, while also having synergies with broader development aspirations 6 . In principle, the local scale focus of CBA provides an opportunity for adaptation to better acknowledge and integrate existing local knowledge, capabilities, priorities and context of the community, and for impacts to be addressed at the scale at which they are experienced 7,8 . Effective and sustainable adaptation that fosters reflective engagement with the community (i.e. ideal CBA) 9 , however, is not as straightforward as often implied 10 .Negative impacts can occur if CBA fails to adequately represent vulnerable populations and generate long-term social resilience 11,12 .Despite the increasing number of CBA activities across the Pacific region, uncertainty remains around whether these communities are becoming better prepared to cope in the long-term 13,14 . Bottom-up approaches such as CBA are important in Pacific Islands as they can support and utilize traditional ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Shared Access To and Benefit From Initiativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Shared Access To and Benefit From Initiativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Integration Of Local Realitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

An assessment of community-based adaptation initiatives in the Pacific Islands

et al. 2020

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“…Global concerns for PICs under a changing climate have stimulated a growing interest in climate change adaptation from a number of non-government organisations (NGOs), international donors, and government agencies (IPCC, 2007;Nunn, 2009;McNamara, 2013). Despite their efforts, many external interventions have failed to address the long-term needs of Pacific Island communities and embed sustainable livelihood solutions (Dean et al, 2017;Westoby et al, 2019). Studies indicate that the limited effectiveness and overall success of many projects is linked to a lack of appropriate engagement, communication and cooperation between stakeholders and local communities throughout both the development and implementation phases of projects (Ireland, 2012;Spires et al, 2 2014;McNaught et al, 2014;Nunn, 2014;Buggy and McNamara, 2015).…”

Section: Research Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of local and Indigenous knowledge in ecosystem-based management and adaptation: A case study of iTaukei communities in Bua Province, Vanua Levu Island, Fiji

Pearson¹

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Pacific Islander societies have long demonstrated resilience when it comes to coping with environmental changes through their vast local knowledge systems, and their context-specific management of local ecosystems. However, increasing population pressures and impacts from climate change have presented new environmental challenges for Pacific Islanders. This has sparked concerns from a number of non-government organisations, international donors, and government agencies to intervene with climate change projects. Despite their efforts, many external interventions have failed to address the long-term needs of Pacific Island communities and embed sustainable livelihood solutions. Given this challenge, innovative solutions that allow local and Indigenous communities to respond and live with changed local conditions and environments are needed. This thesis investigates Indigenous ways of knowing and managing ecosystems and how this can be utilised in future ecosystem-based management and adaptation options. Drawing on iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) knowledge systems, this thesis focuses on human-mangrove relationships in coastal and rural Fijian villages as a case study. First, a literature review is provided to build important context for the research on mangrove ecosystems and ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation and management. The conceptual framework is then detailed to help contextualise and elucidate the research findings. The three main results chapters then provide an in-depth discussion on the major findings of this thesis and how they link back to the original aim and objectives. The first results chapter examines the local perspectives of iTaukei women and men on mangrove ecosystem services through a gender lens. This presents new insights into how gender and other intersecting factors can influence the ways people use, value, and interact with local ecosystems. The second results chapter explores the socio-ecological changes of mangrove ecosystems and the implications this has for iTaukei communities. It is concluded that when investigating ecosystem changes in subsistence-based communities, a holistic approach which considers socio-ecological systems theory should be taken to truly understand the implications for affected communities. The third results chapter investigates the traditional management techniques used by iTaukei communities to conserve, manage and replenish mangrove ecosystems. This builds on current literature pertaining to the role of local and Indigenous ways of knowing in producing ecosystem-based adaptation and management options that are equitable and sustainable. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that there is work to be done to ensure that management and adaptation interventions effectively address the needs of local and Indigenous communities. In order to truly dismantle the neo-colonialist, top-down approaches to external interventions, the iii decolonisation of research methodologies is vital. Reflecting on lessons learnt, intervening agencies need to collaborate with Indigenous ...

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