Traditional Coping Strategies and Disaster Response: Examples from the South Pacific Region

Fletcher-Lartey, Stephanie; Thiessen, Jodi; Gero, A; Rumsey, Michele; Kuruppu, Natasha; Willetts, Juliet

doi:10.1155/2013/264503

Cited by 72 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Governance and leadership within these nations are also best understood in the context of the prevailing cultures of these nations. Structures of power and wealth distribution still strongly reflect traditional practices tied to principles underlying the kinship networks, despite colonization and the introduction of Western systems of governance [14,17].…”

Section: Traditional Coping Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical Cyclones in the Southwest Pacific: A Scrutiny of the Past – Insights for the Future

Saverimuttu¹

2020

IJSSE

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The estimated median value for disaster risk is highest for the continent of Oceania. Six Pacific nations, located in Oceania, rank among the top fifteen considered as having the highest disaster risk worldwide. Globally, three of the seven 'Basins' where cyclones could originate are located in the Southern Hemisphere. The focus of this paper is on the incidence of cyclones, from 2002 to 2018, in the Southwest Pacific. Emergency operations bulletins, data sources such as the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Post Disaster Needs Assessment reports were valuable sources of information to ascertain how these countries, or communities within, coped with and mitigated risks when encountering this natural hazard. Strategies that have proven successful in the past, provided invaluable insights to build resilient communities for the future. Bearing in mind the exposure to risk and vulnerability in the Southwest Pacific basin and the current extent of reliance on developed nations for assistance, such insights can promote increased cooperation and confidence among Pacific nations in preventing a natural hazard from escalating into a disaster. Key strategies relate to traditional coping methods, strengthening community resilience, dealing with poverty and inequality, identifying resilient infrastructure and relocating vulnerable communities.

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Section: Traditional Coping Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical Cyclones in the Southwest Pacific: A Scrutiny of the Past – Insights for the Future

Saverimuttu¹

2020

IJSSE

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“…Examples, corroborated later by McNamara and Prasad (2014), are agricultural diversification, avoiding a culture of aid dependency, and dealing with chronic, background levels of malnutrition and water mismanagement. Fletcher et al (2013) highlight the importance which many Pacific islanders, in Fiji and elsewhere, place on remembering and applying traditional knowledge for warning and food security in the face of El Niño and other climate-related variations and trends. Glantz (2000) notes that the El Niño linked drought in Fiji magnified, but did not cause, ongoing problems of malnutrition and low income.…”

Section: Preparedness In the Pacific Regionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Pacific island regional preparedness for El Niño

Kelman

2017

Environ Dev Sustain

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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.

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“…Previous studies have noted that many communities within the Pacific are interested in the preservation of existing TK and the prevention of further loss (King et al 2008;Fletcher et al 2013;McNamara and Prasad 2014). It is therefore critical to have community involvement in a project, for without community support it will not be possible to collect and preserve the required TK.…”

Section: Why Community Involvement Is Criticalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protocols and Partnerships for Engaging Pacific Island Communities in the Collection and Use of Traditional Climate Knowledge

Malsale

Sanau²,

Tofaeono³

et al. 2018

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

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Traditional knowledge (TK) on weather and climate is an important aspect of community life in the Pacific. Used for generations, this knowledge is derived from observing biological and meteorological variables and contributes to building community resilience to weather extremes. Most of this knowledge is passed on orally and is in danger of being lost due to generational changes, leading communities to seek to preserve the knowledge in other ways. This paper provides guidance on the successful collection and documentation of weather and climate TK in the Pacific by considering four key components: the legal and national context, in-country partnerships, the role of community, and national and community protocols. At the regional level legislation focuses on the protection of culture/TK and intellectual property, which are linked to national policies and laws. Within the national context consideration of the governance structure is critical, including obtaining approvals to conduct the studies. The next consideration is developing partnerships to establish and implement the projects, including working with appropriate ministries, media, donor organizations, and community groups. Community involvement in all aspects of the projects is critical, built on trust between partners and ensuring outputs are aligned with community needs. Following community protocols and procedures allows for effective sharing of TK. We document common protocols that were piloted and tested across four Pacific Island nations, illustrating similarities and differences between cultural groups, including recognizing cultural sensitivities and ensuring custodian rights are protected.

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Traditional Coping Strategies and Disaster Response: Examples from the South Pacific Region

Cited by 72 publications

References 22 publications

Tropical Cyclones in the Southwest Pacific: A Scrutiny of the Past – Insights for the Future

Tropical Cyclones in the Southwest Pacific: A Scrutiny of the Past – Insights for the Future

Pacific island regional preparedness for El Niño

Protocols and Partnerships for Engaging Pacific Island Communities in the Collection and Use of Traditional Climate Knowledge

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