Can Perceptions of Environmental and Climate Change in Island Communitiesssist in Adaptation Planning Locally? (original) (raw)

Local perceptions of environmental and climatechange, as well as associated adaptations made by localpopulations, are fundamental for designing comprehensiveandinclusivemitigationandadaptationplansbothlocallyandnationally. In this paper, we analyze people’s perceptions of environmental and climate-related transformations in com-munities across the Western Solomon Islands throughethnographic and geospatial methods. Specifically, we docu-mented people’s observed changes over the past decadesacross various environmental domains, and for each change,we asked respondents to identify the causes, timing, andpeople’s adaptive responses. We also incorporated thisinformation into a geographical information system databaseto produce broad-scale base maps of local perceptions of environmental change. Results suggest that people detectedchanges that tended to be acute (e.g., water clarity, loggingintensity, and agricultural diseases). We inferred from theseresults that most local observations of and adaptations tochange were related to parts of environment/ecosystem thatare mostdirectly orindirectlyrelated to harvesting strategies.Ontheotherhand,peoplewerelessawareofslowerinsidious/ chronic changes identified by scientific studies. For theSolomon Islands and similar contexts in the insular tropics, abroader anticipatory adaptation planning strategy to climatechange should include a mix of local scientific studies andlocal observations of ongoing ecological changes.

Variation in perception of environmental change in nine Solomon Islands communities: implications for securing fairness in community-based adaptation

Community-based approaches are pursued in recognition of the need for place-based responses to environmental change that integrate local understandings of risk and vulnerability. Yet the potential for fair adaptation is intimately linked to how variations in perceptions of environmental change and risk are treated. There is, however, little empirical evidence of the extent and nature of variations in risk perception in and between multiple community settings. Here, we rely on data from 231 semi-structured interviews conducted in nine communities in Western Province, Solomon Islands, to statistically model different perceptions of risk and change within and between communities. Overall, people were found to be less likely to perceive environmental changes in the marine environment than they were for terrestrial systems. The distance to the nearest market town (which may be a proxy for exposure to commercial logging and degree of involvement with the market economy), and gender had the greatest overall statistical effects on perceptions of risk. Yet, we also find that significant environmental change is underreported in communities, while variations in perception are not always easily related to commonly assumed fault lines of vulnerability. The findings suggest that there is an urgent need for methods that engage with the drivers of perceptions as part of community-based approaches. In particular, it is

Loading...

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.