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Powerpoint presentation on Ecosystem and Socio-economic Resilience Analysis and Mapping (ESRAM) Griffith University

Presentation on Pacific Islands Region: Ecosystem Approach Critical for Climate Change Adaptation

Powerpoint presentation on ESRAM in the Solomon Islands

Powerpoint presentation on ESRAM in Fiji

Natural disasters have a significant impact in the Pacific Islands. Between 1950 and 2004, more than 200 disasters resulted in more than 1700 fatalities and losses amounting to USD 6.5 billion. Given their small populations and economies, such losses are traumatic to Pacific Island countries. Tonga, one of 52 Small Island Developing States (SIDS), is highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and disasters due principally to its geographical, geological, and socio–economic characteristics. Climate change and natural disasters pose severe adverse threats on the environment, the people of Tonga, and their livelihoods. Scientific findings revealed that these impacts would be exacerbated by future climate change. The Government of Tonga has acknowledged these risks to the sustainable development of the country and has hence considered these issues as high priorities in its National Strategic Planning Framework. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Australian Government Pacific Adaptation Climate Change (PACC) project have assisted to increase the resilience of the water resources management sector in Tonga and to enhance adaptive capacity of villages, communities and socio–economic activities to climate change and sea level rise (SLR). This paper, however, describes the impacts of water resources due to climate change rather than the PACC results.

This is the second NIIP. It updates and builds on the successes of the first NIIP that was prepared in 2010. It continues the focus on responsible investment and improved asset management, and includes a stronger spotlight on climate change adaptation and disaster risk management. The Plan is country owned and led, and was developed with the full participation of and in consultation with internal stakeholders, and private sector and community representatives. The process involved the following key steps: 1. Analysing the key drivers for investments in economic infrastructure that will improve the everyday lives of the people of Tonga and reduce the costs of doing business. 2. Assembling a comprehensive list of economic infrastructure projects in the pipeline based on information from Government, Public Enterprises, and development partners to identify those investment projects that are already underway or have committed funding. 3. Developing and applying a robust prioritisation methodology that reflects national objectives as outlined in the Tonga Strategic Development Framework 2011-2014 (TSDF) to identify a set of infrastructure projects investments that are ‘high priority’ for implementation in the next five years. 4. Considering the whole-of-sector planning implications of high priority projects, and identifying linkages and complementary (non-infrastructure) measures required to obtain best long-term value from investments. 5. Assessing the financial sustainability and level of cost recovery of existing infrastructure, and the proposed investments and linkages with public sector financial management framework. 6. Assessing the current infrastructure funding position of Government and Public Enterprises, and developing a funding strategy that can form the basis for discussion between Government, national stakeholders, and development partners.

Given the close inter-connections between land, water and coastal systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the integration of freshwater management with coastal area management is considered essential to foster effective cross-sectoral coordination int he planning and management of land, water and coastal uses. In Pacific SIDS, such integrated approaches to freshwater and coastal area management have been termed 'Ridge to Reef' to emphasise the inter-connections between the natural and social systems from the mountain 'ridges' of volcanic islands, through coastal watersheds and habitats, and across coastal lagoons to the fringing 'reef' environments associated with most Pacific SIDS. Inherent in the approach is the philosophy of cross-sectoral coordination in the planning and management of freshwater use, sanitation, wastewater treatment and pollution control, sustainable land use and forestry practices, balancing coastal livelihoods and biodiversity conservation, hazard risk reduction, and climate variability and change.

Given the close inter-connections between land, water and coastal systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the integration of freshwater management with coastal area management is considered essential to foster effective cross-sectoral coordination int he planning and management of land, water and coastal uses. In Pacific SIDS, such integrated approaches to freshwater and coastal area management have been termed 'Ridge to Reef' to emphasise the inter-connections between the natural and social systems from the mountain 'ridges' of volcanic islands, through coastal watersheds and habitats, and across coastal lagoons to the fringing 'reef' environments associated with most Pacific SIDS. Inherent in the approach is the philosophy of cross-sectoral coordination in the planning and management of freshwater use, sanitation, wastewater treatment and pollution control, sustainable land use and forestry practices, balancing coastal livelihoods and biodiversity conservation, hazard risk reduction, and climate variability and change.

Given the close inter-connections between land, water and coastal systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the integration of freshwater management with coastal area management is considered essential to foster effective cross-sectoral coordination int he planning and management of land, water and coastal uses. In Pacific SIDS, such integrated approaches to freshwater and coastal area management have been termed 'Ridge to Reef' to emphasise the inter-connections between the natural and social systems from the mountain 'ridges' of volcanic islands, through coastal watersheds and habitats, and across coastal lagoons to the fringing 'reef' environments associated with most Pacific SIDS. Inherent in the approach is the philosophy of cross-sectoral coordination in the planning and management of freshwater use, sanitation, wastewater treatment and pollution control, sustainable land use and forestry practices, balancing coastal livelihoods and biodiversity conservation, hazard risk reduction, and climate variability and change.

Given the close inter-connections between land, water and coastal systems in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the integration of freshwater management with coastal area management is considered essential to foster effective cross-sectoral coordination int he planning and management of land, water and coastal uses. In Pacific SIDS, such integrated approaches to freshwater and coastal area management have been termed 'Ridge to Reef' to emphasise the inter-connections between the natural and social systems from the mountain 'ridges' of volcanic islands, through coastal watersheds and habitats, and across coastal lagoons to the fringing 'reef' environments associated with most Pacific SIDS. Inherent in the approach is the philosophy of cross-sectoral coordination in the planning and management of freshwater use, sanitation, wastewater treatment and pollution control, sustainable land use and forestry practices, balancing coastal livelihoods and biodiversity conservation, hazard risk reduction, and climate variability and change.