Episode 4 - Community Resilience in Island States

00:00:05: You grow up learning how tides move, How winds shift.

00:00:10: How storm approach.

00:00:12: you know which part of the coast is safe?

00:00:15: Which reef protects your village?

00:00:17: Which mangrove forests slow the waves?

00:00:23: Now imagine this balance begins to change.

00:00:27: Tides become gradually higher Storm patterns grow less predictable Coastlines begin to evolve faster than before, not all at once but fast enough to ask for something new.

00:00:45: Those communities are experiencing how environmental change reshapes landscapes economies and everyday life.

00:00:54: in today's episode we'll learn more about it and discover what a multi-hazard system actually is.

00:01:03: my name is Federica Orsi a podcast by the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience about people, science and ideas that are shaping the future of our coasts.

00:01:28: Knowledge education technology.

00:01:30: In the previous episode we explored how coastal resilience is built through these areas.

00:01:36: Today in our fourth episode We take different steps Because resilience Is being able to adapt new conditions that will settle after a disturbance has modified the previous situation.

00:01:52: Island and archipelagic environments are what science defines as multi-other systems.

00:01:58: Multi-other system is where different processes interact rather than occur in isolation, storm surge combined with sea level rise while erosion reshapes coastlines already weakened by ecosystem degradation.

00:02:15: At the same time, these systems often have very limited spatial buffering which means there is less room to absorb change.

00:02:25: And when space is limited adaptation becomes more complex.

00:02:30: There's also an economic dimension that cannot be ignored.

00:02:35: In many highland regions livelihoods depends directly on coastal environments tourism fisheries and a wide range of coastal services.

00:02:45: When ecosystem weakened, economies become more fragile and when economies are under pressure recovery becomes slower and more uncertain.

00:02:58: The Caribbean is one of the most recognizable coastal regions in the world.

00:03:03: Coral reefs, Turin-based economies communities deeply connected to the sea.

00:03:09: but this region has also becoming more vulnerable to hurricanes storm surges and sea level rise.

00:03:16: Someone who knows this fact better than anyone else is

00:03:22: Lorna Innis.

00:03:36: As an expert of the Caribbean area, we ask Lorna what are the most pressing coastal challenges currently affecting the Highlands communities?

00:03:46: The Caribbean, small island developing states have several coastal challenges mainly because their economic advantages are all coastal in nature.

00:03:57: As a result the issues associated with ocean-related hazards especially sea level hazards are coastal.

00:04:06: as a result The economic and social advantages of the small island developing states are very much

00:04:13: at

00:04:14: risk under threat from several different hazards, tsunamis but also sea level rise.

00:04:22: However there's an added issue.

00:04:24: Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean is heavily indebted.

00:04:29: as a result trying to recover these hazards has become more difficult as the frequency and intensity of hazards has also increased.

00:04:43: The third challenge is that ecosystems would assist with attenuation of any kind of coastal inundation, those ecosystems are at risk from very same hazards but human induced hazards.

00:05:02: Coral reefs are often described natural infrastructure.

00:05:06: They reduce wave energy before it reaches the shore, protect coastline from erosion and sustain both biodiversity and local economies.

00:05:15: But when reef degrades this protection is reduced and coastal vulnerability increases.

00:05:22: In the last thirty years of my career I have seen a reduction in coral reef health And it began with coral diseases.

00:05:33: as the coral disease took over with an increase in sea surface temperatures, what we found was that reefs that were diseased had a greater vulnerability to these ocean-related hazards.

00:05:49: So as a result you have two impacts that complement each other and accelerate the degradation of coral reefs Increase in sea surface temperature.

00:06:04: You have the coral diseases, and you have the increase in frequency and intensity of sea-level related hazards.

00:06:12: Our challenge is to restore but also to maintain The ecosystem services that those reefs have been giving us.

00:06:23: now In the tourism sector the services that we receive from coral reefs in relation to diving is vastly reduced in the Caribbean islands because of the challenge of coral reef loss and as well issues related to water quality.

00:06:40: So what we are finding?

00:06:42: that more than eighty percent of the existing corals in the caribbean, either dead or dying which leaves us only with twenty percent healthy coral reefs.

00:06:55: at this point We focus on a future with no coral reefs, which is something that we would really not want the coming generations to have to deal with.

00:07:09: That's a global issue where we need all countries to come together and address the issues of climate change.

00:07:16: And without continuing to function very slowly what we are seeing is a continual degradation of coral reefs in spite of aggressive restoration efforts.

00:07:30: This is where we clearly see the connection between ecological and socio-economic resilience, when ecosystems are under stress livelihoods have affected as well.

00:07:41: Environmental justice in small island developing states.

00:07:44: In my view it's a major challenge because The Coastal Zone Is really the entire Island Of any Small Island Developing State Governments, from my experience focus very much on the bigger picture in hope that smaller communities will benefit.

00:08:04: And this is not a fair way of addressing many climate-related issues Because there are some communities that are much more vulnerable than others, even in these small island states.

00:08:19: However the measurement of vulnerability really is a scientific measure and one of the challenges we have on the Caribbean Small Islands Is lack data capacity to collect the data In order address issues.

00:08:37: for example environmental justice

00:08:44: is not only a technical decision, it involves different factors as cultural ties economic realities and longer planning constraints but also an economic dependency on tourism which has huge influence over adaptation choices.

00:09:02: Countries are having major challenges with even this discussion.

00:09:08: there's no way that small island developing states can compete in terms of costs pricing, salaries etc.

00:09:17: related to manufacturing for example there are some countries that are trying to increase the levels of their financial services markets.

00:09:28: however now countries are looking at the blue economy as a possibility for diversification from tourism.

00:09:37: The challenge is that many of the ideas that are being touted for Blue Economy will also degrade coastal assets.

00:09:48: these countries have One big adaptation planning option is retreating from coast.

00:09:57: However, if you only four hundred square kilometers.

00:10:03: There's no room for retreat, really!

00:10:07: With that reality then comes the possibilities of adapting in place and adapting from a coastal perspective is extremely expensive.

00:10:22: so what some of the solutions that we may consider would be regional economic integration, which is one of very strong elements considered and worked on during the last fifty years by Caribbean small island developing states.

00:10:42: The Regional Integration Movement has assisted significantly.

00:10:47: but when you have pivots in policy from regional integration To nationalism, this also complicates long-term adaptation planning.

00:11:04: Here resilience becomes a balance between maintaining economic stability and preparing for learned term change.

00:11:17: And now from the Caribbean we move to another region where coastal risks are equally complex.

00:11:23: The Western Pacific is one of most hazard exposed coastal regions in the world where typhoons, sea level rise, land subsidence and rapid urbanization converge along densely populated coastlines.

00:11:43: For these different areas we spoke with another expert Wengiziju Thanks to Wengi knowledge.

00:11:54: first we explored what are the most critical coastal challenges currently affecting communities in the western Pacific.

00:12:03: Communities across the western Pacific are facing a combination of interconnected coastal challenges driven by climate change, environmental degradation, rapid urbanization and also increasing pressure on marine resources.

00:12:19: So among most critical threats is sea level rise intensifying tropical cyclones, coastal flooding erosion.

00:12:30: So sea level rise is already affecting I think many low-lying coastal areas and the small island communities in that region.

00:12:39: Through the shoreline retreat, saltwater intrusion are also increasing flood risk.

00:12:45: so at a same time stronger typhoons on extreme weather events causing growing damage to homes infrastructures fisheries A pollution overfishing and unsustainable coastal development are further weakening the ecosystem resilience, and that's threatening full security under livelihood.

00:13:13: So for instance, the mangrove loss in many parts of Southeast Asia has reduced natural coastal protection against waves on storms In recent years, seagrass degradation areas In Thailand and also in the Philippines, threat can spell diversity if fishery habitats under blue-carbon storage.

00:13:38: So a big threat is created by sea level that rises from above And land that subsides from below.

00:13:46: Together these processes amplify exposure.

00:13:50: What we ask Wenji?

00:13:51: Is how does rapid urbanization influences coastal vulnerability?

00:13:57: The social vulnerability and rapid coastal urbanization intersect with climate risks by increasing both the exposure and sensitivity of coast communities to climate-related hazards.

00:14:13: across the whole western Pacific.

00:14:16: that in many cities, settlements are expanding rapidly along low line coastal lines.

00:14:26: that are already vulnerable to sea level rise, storm surge flooding coastal erosion and extreme weather events.

00:14:35: But however the impacts of this hazard are not evenly distributed.

00:14:42: their impact is strongly shaped by social economic conditions.

00:14:48: you know the rapid urban expansion often pushes into hazard prone areas such as low-lying coastline, river mouth reclaiming lines or informal settlements.

00:15:03: So these communities frequently have inadequate infrastructure and the limited access to early warning systems health care's also financial resources for recovery.

00:15:17: so in one word I think climate risk in this region particularly coastal areas It's not only on environmental issues but also development and social equity challenges.

00:15:29: Before leaving Wengie, one last question.

00:15:32: Among all these coastal challenges what is the core role of IOC Westpac?

00:15:39: The coastal challenge facing the western Pacific are highly interconnected and transpondering.

00:15:45: The skill under complexity of this challenges far exceed the capacity of any single country or institution to address a loan.

00:15:55: So, UNESCO IOC subcommission for Western Pacific respect as regional arm of UNESCO's IOC works very closely with national institutions coast communities and also international partners to strengthen coastal resilience and preparedness.

00:16:13: so its core role is bring together government agencies researching institutions, universities and communities across the region through you know science policy interface training workshop.

00:16:26: And also regional network and collaborative and many practical action-oriented initiatives.

00:16:33: so in this context at collaboration with their decade collaborative center for close resilience has significantly enhanced both our national and a global knowledge share exchange.

00:16:52: Across both regions we observe recurring patterns, multi-azard exposure limited space for adaptation strong economic dependency on coastal systems and reduced capacity to absorb shocks.

00:17:08: islands have fewer alternatives when systems are disrupted which make resilience more demanding.

00:17:15: This is why they are often described as early indicators of global change.

00:17:21: Even if far from the hillan, Highland can teach us what future will be like!

00:17:28: If this episode made you aware how Costa Rijks have experienced differently around the world.

00:17:35: explore the DCCCR work on environmental justice and capacity development.

00:17:41: You can subscribe to our newsletter or visit through the link in the episode description.

00:17:49: And don't forget to follow our podcast on your favorite platform and turn on notifications, so stay connected!

00:17:56: Until next time, protect & respect our coastal ocean.

00:18:08: Green Tides is a podcast by DCCCR Decade Collaborative Center for Coastal Resilience produced by POTSAR Narrator Federica Orsi Writing Lorenzo Molino Sound Design Antonio Mezzadra, Graphics Laura Fracasso, Producer Esther Memeo.

00:18:29: Special thanks to CMCC, Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change, Herion and Deltares.