The European Union funded Global Climate Change Alliance: Pacific Small Island States (GCCA: PSIS) project, implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, has completed three short videos on lessons learnt from climate change adaptation projects in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Palau and Tuvalu.
These three country-specific videos represent the second set of videos; the first set, which are available on the YouTube channel (see link at the end of this article), covered Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue and Tonga.
The videos, conceptualised and planned by the country teams, were produced by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.
The video produced for FSM, “Improving water security for traditional island living,” highlights the efforts undertaken to enhance water security in Fais Island, Yap State. Fais Island is a very remote outlying island where a traditional life style persists. The video highlights the challenges in transporting water tanks and other water catchment materials to an island where is there no port and all materials have to be lightered ashore through the reef in small boats. The video shows how the community has contributed to the implementation of the project and the very real challenges they face, especially after the damage caused by Typhoon Maysak in April 2015 when there was no fresh water available on the island.
The “From coconuts to fresh water” video shows how water security in the remote, outlying island states of Angaur, Hatohobei, Sonsorol, Kayangel and Peleliu is being enhanced. In some of these small islands, residents have to turn to drinking coconuts in times of drought. The video gives an account of the successful collaboration between the Palau Public Utilities Corporation and five outlying island states, namely, in increasing access and availability of quality water through both ground water and rainwater catchment systems. Palau’s work to prepare the Palau Climate Change Policy for climate and disaster resilient low-carbon emissions development is also featured.
The video “Promoting local food production in Tuvalu” was launched in Tuvalu in April 2015 and highlights demonstration sites featuring integrated farming practices that combine crops (agriculture) with trees and shrubs (forestry), a technique known as agroforestry. The video shows the techniques used to develop the demonstration sites, including nursery management, mulching and trialling climate ready crops from SPC’s Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees. The video also features a home gardening project with the Tuvalu National Council of Women, where gardens were established on every island of Tuvalu. The success of the home gardens and agroforestry demonstration sites, especially if expanded on a countrywide basis, will help increase domestic food security.
The final set of videos will feature the Republic of Marshall Islands and Nauru, and together with the other seven will be launched at the GCCA: PSIS Project Steering Committee and Lessons Learnt meeting to be held in Yap State, FSM in September 2015.
To view the videos, visit https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCq-WnF3Hdri67k5l3c-ew7AyfhQcWIXq