Developing a Method for Adaptive Management and Protection from Climate Change in Mangrove and Coral Reef Ecosystems.

WWF in partnership with the Institute of Applied Sciences, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wetlands International and communities will as part of the project work towards integrating Climate Change adaptation strategies into their management philosophies and plans. Conservation of ecosystems and natural resources requires that we develop adaptive management, aggressively implement them or concede and accept that many of our nation’s natural ecosystems and biodiversity contained within them will be lost to Climate Change.

The project is titled “Coastal Resilience to Climate Change: Developing a Generalizable Method  for Assessing Vulnerability and Adaptation of Mangroves and Associated Ecosystems. It will operate in four countries (Fiji, Cameroon and Tanzania) and will be managed by a Global Coordinator (WWF-US). By testing the adaptation methodology in geographically diverse locations within a common habitat type, the process greatly enhances replication in other areas around the globe. The project is being funded by the Global Environment Facility with co-financing from WWF and partner organizations. The developed methodology will assist conservation practitioners in the Pacific to promote effective vulnerability assessments, climate change adaptation projects and policies. This will enhance communities in the Pacific to develop suitable adaptive responses to live with the change and uncertainty caused by CC.

WWF is the project leader and Wetlands International staff based in Fiji will be technical participants in the project. Expected outputs from the project are: 

• An Assessment and Status Report of relevant historical or existing baseline information for watersheds in the project sites Tikina Wai and Kubulau, in order to assess their biophysical status and vulnerability to Climate Change.
• Training of community monitors in terms of standardising watershed data collection across the two field sites.
• Active participation in assisting site communities to incorporate into their management system or plan, actions for watershed intactness to enhance the resilience of coastal systems against the impacts of Climate Change.
• Report on the collection of defined watershed data to reflect climate variability on river systems and its connectivity with coastal processes in the two project sites
• Active participation in planned stakeholder and national meetings.
• Report on Community Monitoring Training for the two project sites.
• Development of a Watershed Assessment Approach, specific to the project, detailing connectivity between watersheds, mangroves and associated coastal systems using the two project sites as case studies.