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The aim of this brief is to: • alert governments to some of the risks that climate change poses to the fisheries priorities of the Pacific Plan and the actions identified in the Vava’au Declaration on Pacific Fisheries Resources; and • identify how the fishing industry and fishing communities can begin to adapt to changing environments to help maintain the benefits of fisheries. This is the first in a series of interim Policy Briefs on this issue. As more knowledge is gained through the new project on fisheries and climate in the region1, more comprehensive recommendations for adaptive management will be provided.

This brief report outlines how the climate of the Pacific is projected to change, how climate change has affected fisheries elsewhere in the world, and how it is expected to affect fisheries and aquaculture in the Pacific. The emphasis is on the implications for economies of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). It concludes with general recommendations that should help the regional and national management agencies and other stakeholders in fisheries to adapt to maintain the benefits of fisheries. The assessments of the projected effects of climate change, and the recommended approaches for adaptation, are preliminary. They are derived from the early phases of a major regional project to assess the vulnerability of fisheries and aquaculture in the Pacific to climate change coordinated by SPC and supported by AusAID1. The project is due to be completed by mid 2010 and will deliver a much more comprehensive assessment of likely impacts, practical adaptations, and investments needed to address key gaps in knowledge.

The effects of climate change require strong actions from policy-makers, extension officers and communities to strengthen resilience to the expected negative impacts. Sea-level rise, changes in precipitation patterns and other effects cannot be avoided, but there are many means to reduce the vulnerability of communities. To equip the actors in this adaptation process with the right tools, the Regional Programme on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region is setting up a knowledge management system including a database on climate change. A collection of best practices from the region and other parts of the world will be part of this venture. The collection of best practices from the region will be completed by the thematic teams of SPC Land Resources Division. This desk-study gathers examples from across the globe.

The Pacific-German Regional Programme on Adaptation to Climate Change supports the endeavour of Pacific countries to ‘mainstream’ adaptation to climate change. Integrating climate change issues into the strategies and services of SPC programmes, and into the land use strategies and planning documents of Tonga and Vanuatu, are central aspects of the programme. But what do we mean when we talk about mainstreaming? Usually it is equivalent to ‘integrating’ an issue into another area, such as a policy or an institution. In this document, mainstreaming adaptation refers to the incorporation of measures strategies and information to reduce vulnerability to climate change, in policies, strategies, programmes, development planning, institutions and decision-making processes.

The effects of climate change require strong actions from policy-makers, extension officers and communities to strengthen resilience to the expected negative impacts. Sea-level rise, changes in precipitation patterns and other effects cannot be avoided, but there are many means to reduce the vulnerability of communities. To equip the actors in this adaptation process with the right tools, the Regional Programme on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region is setting up a knowledge management system including a database on climate change. A collection of best practices from the region and other parts of the world will be part of this venture. The collection of best practices from the region will be completed by the thematic teams of SPC Land Resources Division. This desk-study gathers examples from across the globe.

This report deals with food security and climate change in 15 Pacific Island economies in terms of the four traditional food security pillars: f adequacy (enough food on a consistent basis, either through local production or imports or food assistance from outside sources); f availability (ability of households and individuals to acquire food); f stability (resilience of food supplies to external shocks, such as natural disasters); f utilisation of food at the household level, especially by those with low incomes (requiring that people are healthy enough to process the food internally, and have adequate safe water and sanitation and food hygiene and child-care skills. In the Pacific context, safety and nutrition (food that is fresh or properly preserved and contributes to a healthy diet) are equally important and are included as a fifth pillar. Adequate food security has existed only intermittently in the region in the past and food shortages and famine conditions continue to occur, largely as a result of natural weather-related events.

Niue is a self-governing nation in free association with New Zealand, located partway between Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. Niue's economy is heavily dependent on support from New Zealand and aid accounts for 70% of Niue's GDP. Niue has a population of approximately 1625 people, making it the world's least populated state. Niue is vulnerable to climate risks such as Tropical Cyclones (TCs) and droughts; geological risks such as earthquakes and tsunami; and human-caused risks such as disease outbreaks and contamination of the water supply. As the world's largest elevated coral atoll, its rocky and rugged coastline has steep cliffs which offer marginal protection from risks such as tsunami. However as experienced in 2004 with the category 5 Tropical Cyclone Heta, TC-induced waves have the capacity to overtop the steep cliffs and wash boulders inland up to +25 m above sea level. Niue's isolation, small population, reliance on donor aid, limited water resources and marginal agricultural potential also contribute to its overall risk profile.

This book is much more than a comprehensive assessment of the vulnerability of tropical Pacific fisheries and aquaculture to climate change. It is also a valuable resource for anyone wanting to learn about the diverse oceanic, coastal and freshwater fisheries and aquaculture activities of the Pacific Islands region, and the environmental conditions and habitats that support them. " Excerpted from Dr. Jimmie Rodgers, DG, SPC foreword"