Abstract:
The small island developing countries of the Pacific are widely recognized as among those most vulnerable to climate change. 1, 2 They are already strongly impacted by extreme climatic events such as cyclones, to which the people have developed traditional coping mechanisms. Such mechanisms included preserved foods kept back for emergency use (e.g. fermented breadfruit) and light-weight dwellings which though easily destroyed could be quickly rebuilt. But economic development has led to changing lifestyles, urbanization, and increased populations, which have made such mechanisms less relevant than in past centuries, .and these counties do not have the human or financial resources to take up technologically sophisticated adaptation measures. Therefore there is a strong need to identify, develop and disseminate adaptation strategies that are suitable for use in Pacific communities as they are now.