Skip to content

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research

Read our Science Bulletin
Presentation

Integrated and participatory action research for enhanced resilience to climate change: Capturing community perception and narratives of climate adaptation for informing policy

Policy recommendations drawn from “real-life” lessons and collective knowledge co-produced with local communities and practitioners present actual narratives relevant in international forums and processes such as the IPCC. Community perception of changes in the environment combined with climate data allows for enhanced understanding of shifts in environmental patterns and provides an opportunity to co-design adaptation strategies. In Fiji, where rural communities are prone to climate impacts due to geographical and socio-ecological factors, the diversity of climate adaptation measures and indigenous knowledge communities employ, both in disaster and post-disaster recovery stages, must be well captured, packaged and translated as necessary for policy uptake. A study supported by Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) generated a number of narratives from disaster-affected communities in Ba Province, Viti Levu and demonstrated adaptation processes relative to cultural contexts ranging from coping culture and faith-based preparedness strategies to labour mobility and inland relocation. Through policy briefs, the study provides examples of community-based climate change adaptation that can serve as best-practice models for other flood-affected communities in Asia-Pacific. Further understanding and communication of community perception of environmental changes and the complexity of decision-making processes around climate-induced and climate-associated migration can enable more actionable policymaking.