A new regional project will help three Pacific island countries, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu, cope with the effects of climate change.

The Euro 4.2 million project is being funded by GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) and will be based at SPC’s (Secretariat of the Pacific Community) Land Resources Division in Suva. For some time now, SPC has been systematically integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies into its policy, technical and advisory services.In the Pacific, climate change is likely to cause saline intrusion in atolls, coral bleaching, increased coastal erosion, changes in rainfall patterns, and shifts in tuna stocks.

In addition, more extreme weather events may severely damage food crops and infrastructure, impacting on food security, water resources and even tourism. Climate sensitive diseases may be worsened by climate change.
Pacific island countries therefore need to strengthen their capacity to adapt to climate change and to protect their natural resources against its effects, for example, through such strategies as avoiding deforestation.

Department heads and senior officials from the environment, agriculture and forestry sectors in Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu will meet in Suva this week to set directions and plan national activities for the four-year regional project. The meeting, which will start on Thursday, 5 February, at the Tradewinds Convention Centre, Lami, will be opened by Fiji’s Director of Environment, Mr Epeli Nasoma.

At the regional level, the project is aligned with the Pacific Island Framework for Action on Climate Change 2006-2015. It will support Vanuatu’s implementation of its National Adaptation Programme for Action and will also assist Fiji and Tonga in preparing their national communications (or reports) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The workshop will introduce the impact monitoring planning process that is followed by GTZ and other major development agencies. Results-based monitoring, a standard procedure for GTZ, will be applied to steering the project and reporting on activities.

A feature of this type of monitoring is that observation does not focus solely on completed activities, but on the changes resulting from activities.

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