This report is primarily directed to analyzing the legal aspects of ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change. It sketches the impacts of climate change in the Pacific Island countries, recognizing that climate change directly impacts ecosystems, which provide for the needs of people as well as for the maintenance of the natural environment.
This report was commissioned by the Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change Project (PEBACC) – an International Climate Initiative (IKI) project implemented by SPREP in conjunction with the Government of Vanuatu. The project advocates ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) as a cost-effective and appropriate response to climate change in Pacific island countries.
This synthesis report provides an overview of the first seven steps involved to identify, prioritise, and implement ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) projects in Port Vila, Vanuatu, and is based on a detailed series of technical reports prepared for the PEBACC project.
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, cyclones, and tropical depressions cause average annual direct losses of US$284 million in the Pacific. With a combined population of fewer than 10 million people, annual losses are the highest in the world on a per-capita basis. Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall are closely linked to climate change, suggesting that Pacific Island nations face increasing risk of disasters such as flooding and landslides. Proactive management through infrastructure development, social solutions, and/or ecosystem-based adaptation can mitigate these risks.
This report examines the role of the ecosystem services in reducing the vulnerability of the people of the Pacific Islands to climate change. Specifically, it describes the decision-making frameworks and the current state of knowledge of specific ecosystem-service/development relationships that are relevant to EbA.