Taking stock of community-based climate-change adaptation projects in the Pacific

A number of international donors have in recent years shown great interest in implementing community-based projects related to adaptation to climate change climate- in the Pacific. This interest has seen a flurry of activity in Pacific communities to develop and implement on-ground activities in the hope of enhancing adaptive capacity. This article draws on the results of a questionnaire completed by 31 agencies that have implemented climate-change adaptation projects in various communities throughout the Pacific region. The impetus for this research is to better understand the types of projects that have been implemented, and assess their levels of success in safeguarding communities in the face of climate change. While there has been limited overall progress made across the region to address climate change impacts at the community level, four broad-brush lessons that relate to the process of project development and implementation are drawn from this research. These lessons include the need to: provide locally and culturally appropriate community awareness and education; integrate local environmental knowledge throughout the project cycle; ensure that community ownership is involved in all project stages; and enhance sustainable livelihood resources more broadly.