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30 March 2009 | dataset

Development, forest conservation and adaptation to climate change: a case for integrated community-based sustainability in rural Vanuatu

This paper is concerned with integrating adaptation to climate change with local development in the context of a climate change mitigation project for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. It is argued that integration will enhance locally appropriate and sustainable outcomes necessary for effective forest conservation in the context of rural Vanuatu. Concurrently, a community- based approach to assessing vulnerability is proposed whereby locally pertinent manifestations of climate- related exposure and adaptive capacity form the baseline of adaptive decision-making for integrated forest conservation and development. The approach is illustrated by a discussion of vulnerability and local development needs in the Tangoa Island community, South Santo, Vanuatu - a community particularly affected by tropical cyclones. Although effective adaptive strategies have evolved over time in Tangoa, these are unlikely to withstand the likely changes in magnitude and (perhaps) frequency of cyclones into the future with climate change. This is due to evolving non-climate stresses that largely intersect with locally defined development needs. Opportunities exist to reduce vulnerability to climate change by development pathways that address particular non-climate stresses. This provides a practical and tangible way of engendering community-based adaptation that would otherwise be unlikely in rural Vanuatu. The approach has application in other rural developing communities, both in Vanuatu and other developing countries.

Available online

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 31 p.

Field Value
Publisher Victoria University of Wellington
Modified 15 February 2022
Release Date 30 March 2009
Source URL https://library.sprep.org/content/development-forest-conservation-and-adaptatio…
Identifier VL-35441
Spatial / Geographical Coverage Location Pacific Region
Relevant Countries Pacific Region
License Public
[Open Data]
Contact Name SPREP Records and Archives Officer
Contact Email [email protected]