Place Attachment and Cultural Barriers to Climate Change Induced Relocation: Lessons from Vunisavisavi Village, Vanua Levu, Fiji

Singh, Priyatma; Charan, Dhrishna; Kaur, Manpreet; Railoa, Kelera; Chand, Ravneel

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-40552-6_2

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Cultural aspects such as Fenua in Tuvalu (Stratford et al 2013 ) and Vanua in Fiji (Williksen‐Bakker 1990 ) sit at the core of Pacific Island culture to relate people, their societies, and their identities to nature, land, and natural resources, intertwining with people’s mental health and wellbeing. Relocation and migration can therefore have substantial mental health and wellbeing impacts though the loss of place attachment, ancestral connections, and identities, which in turn can lead to eroded belief systems, family ties, and local and cultural knowledges (Stratford et al 2013 , McMichael et al 2019 , Latai-Niusulu et al 2020 , Singh et al 2020 ). The mental health and wellbeing effects of forced migration—and subsequent loss of land, culture, and identity—were demonstrated among the Banabans forcibly relocated to Fiji during colonial times (Tabucanon 2012 ).…”

Section: Mental Health and Wellbeing In Sids Under Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…SIDS women’s mental health in particular is suggested as being affected by planned relocation, recognising that the migration process might inhibit or change gendered livelihood activities such as craft work, textile weaving, and local food provision. In Fiji and PNG, the emotional impact of sadness, stress, and anxiety is suggested as hindering women from actively taking part in national and local climate change adaptation decision-making (Schwerdtle et al 2018 , Singh et al 2020 ). This can be further exacerbated when authority is unclear for defining risky or uninhabitable locations, for determining where a person is allowed to live, and for labelling who is ‘involuntarily’ immobile or ‘trapped’ and who must be relocated promptly (Ayeb-Karlsson et al 2018 , 2020 ).…”

Section: Mental Health and Wellbeing In Sids Under Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

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A review of mental health and wellbeing under climate change in small island developing states (SIDS)

Kelman

Ayeb‐Karlsson

Rose-Clarke

et al. 2021

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Small island developing states (SIDS) are often at the forefront of climate change impacts, including those related to health, but information on mental health and wellbeing is typically underreported. To help address this research lacuna, this paper reviews research about mental health and wellbeing under climate change in SIDS. Due to major differences in the literature’s methodologies, results, and analyses, the method is an overview and qualitative evidence synthesis of peer-reviewed publications. The findings show that mental health and wellbeing in the context of climate change have yet to feature prominently and systematically in research covering SIDS. It seems likely that major adverse mental health and wellbeing impacts linked to climate change impacts will affect SIDS peoples. Similar outcomes might also emerge when discussing climate change related situations, scenarios, and responses, irrespective of what has actually happened thus far due to climate change. In the context of inadequate health systems and stigmatisation of mental health diagnoses and treatments, as tends to occur globally, climate change narratives might present an opening for conversations about addressing mental health and wellbeing issues for SIDS.

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Section: Mental Health and Wellbeing In Sids Under Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mental Health and Wellbeing In Sids Under Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

A review of mental health and wellbeing under climate change in small island developing states (SIDS)

Kelman

Ayeb‐Karlsson

Rose-Clarke

et al. 2021

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…wealth and reserves ) under many climate scenarios (Kalikoski & Allison, 2010). However, strong place attachment may also hinder transformative change, such as relocation, if individuals feel duty bound to ‘watch over the land’ in the face of escalating climate risks (Singh et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diverse pathways for climate resilience in marine fishery systems

Eurich,

Friedman,

Kleisner

et al. 2023

Fish and Fisheries

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Both the ecological and social dimensions of fisheries are being affected by climate change. As a result, policymakers, managers, scientists and fishing communities are seeking guidance on how to holistically build resilience to climate change. Numerous studies have highlighted key attributes of resilience in fisheries, yet concrete examples that explicitly link these attributes to social‐ecological outcomes are lacking. To better understand climate resilience, we assembled 18 case studies spanning ecological, socio‐economic, governance and geographic contexts. Using a novel framework for evaluating 38 resilience attributes, the case studies were systematically assessed to understand how attributes enable or inhibit resilience to a given climate stressor. We found population abundance, learning capacity, and responsive governance were the most important attributes for conferring resilience, with ecosystem connectivity, place attachment, and accountable governance scoring the strongest across the climate‐resilient fisheries. We used these responses to develop an attribute typology that describes robust sources of resilience, actionable priority attributes and attributes that are case specific or require research. We identified five fishery archetypes to guide stakeholders as they set long‐term goals and prioritize actions to improve resilience. Lastly, we found evidence for two pathways to resilience: (1) building ecological assets and strengthening communities, which we observed in rural and small‐scale fisheries, and (2) building economic assets and improving effective governance, which was demonstrated in urban and wealthy fisheries. Our synthesis presents a novel framework that can be directly applied to identify approaches, pathways and actionable levers for improving climate resilience in fishery systems.

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“…The Kwaio people of Malaita Island (Solomon Islands) say that at such times these insects "behave just like ants," but if no cyclone is forthcoming then they behave "as they should." One report from Fiji suggests this type of nest-building occurs up to 3-4 months in advance of a tropical cyclone, something that leads local residents to make appropriate preparations like storing food (Johnston, 2015;Nakamura & Kanemasu, 2020;Singh et al, 2020). Unpublished observations from Vanuatu show that nest height for some pigeon species is also used to predict cyclone activity.…”

Section: Animalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional knowledge for climate resilience in the Pacific Islands

Nunn,

Kumar,

Barrowman

et al. 2024

WIREs Climate Change

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Pacific Islands, many relatively remote and small, have been occupied by people for more than 3000 years during which time they experienced climate‐driven environmental changes (both slow and rapid onset) that challenged human survival and led to the evolution of place‐based coping strategies expressed through traditional knowledge (TK). In today's globalized Pacific Islands region, into which western worldviews and global adaptation strategies have made significant inroads, most plans for coping with climate‐changed futures are founded in science‐based understandings of the world that undervalue and sideline TK. Many such plans have proved difficult to implement as a consequence. This paper reviews the nature of extant Pacific TK for coping with climate change, something that includes TK for anticipating climate change (including climate variability and climate extremes) as well as ancillary TK associated with food and water security, traditional ecological knowledge, environmental conservation, and settlement and house construction that represent coping strategies. Much of this TK can be demonstrated as being effective with precedents in other (traditional) contexts and a compelling plausible scientific basis. This study demonstrates that Pacific Islands TK for coping with climate change has value and, especially because of its place‐based nature, should be central to future climate‐change adaptation strategies to enhance their uptake, effectiveness and sustainability. To this end, this paper proposes specific ways forward to optimize the utility of TK and ensure it has a realistic role in sustaining Pacific Island communities into the future.This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Ideas and Knowledge Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Modern Climate Change Assessing Impacts of Climate Change > Observed Impacts of Climate Change

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Place Attachment and Cultural Barriers to Climate Change Induced Relocation: Lessons from Vunisavisavi Village, Vanua Levu, Fiji

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

A review of mental health and wellbeing under climate change in small island developing states (SIDS)

A review of mental health and wellbeing under climate change in small island developing states (SIDS)

Diverse pathways for climate resilience in marine fishery systems

Traditional knowledge for climate resilience in the Pacific Islands

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