Context
In the Pacific, both air and sea surface temperatures are projected to increase in coming years due to the effects of climate change. In addition, over the past decade several environmental issues have worsened, including increased unsustainable harvesting of coastal fishery resources, degradation of coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds; increased groundwater pollution; and a loss of biodiversity due to invasive species, degradation of land resources through unsustainable forestry and poor agricultural practices, and excessive conversion of forest land to alternative uses, climate variability, and sea level rise. The economy of the Solomon Islands is based on agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, which together account for around 40 per cent of GDP and provide employment for the majority of the population.
Coastal areas encompass diverse ecosystems supporting a variety of living and non-living resources, and also provide many ecosystem services that support the population, such as seagrass beds and mangrove habitats, with coral reefs comprising the primary coastal protection structures while also providing an important source of food and employment for coastal communities throughout the Pacific. The Government of Solomon Islands considers it urgent to develop the capacity of the country to assess risks and vulnerabilities associated with climate change, to reduce risks, and adapt to the predicted impacts. For the Solomon Islands, the objective of developing an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) framework is to protect the mangroves through ecosystem-based adaptation solutions.
CTCN Support
This technical assistance will support the formulation of an ICZM policy framework to protect mangroves through ecosystem-based adaptation solutions. Over the longer term, the framework aims to balance environment, socio-economic, cultural, and recreational objectives; reduce ecosystem degradation; conserve and maintain existing ecosystems; and involve local communities or stakeholders in sustainable environmental management decisions. Specifically, the results will include:
- Stakeholder mapping report
- Matrix of existing legal and policy instruments linked to Coastal Zone Management
- Report identifying barriers, challenges, lack of policies on the existing institutional instruments
- Consultations with main stakeholders
- Full ICZM policy framework drafted
- Implementation guide under a short-term perspective (1 year) of the ICZM framework policy
- Technologies fact sheets (6-8) for ICZM
- Report on the awareness campaign
Expected Impact
The technical assistance will promote integrated planning and coordination of coastal developments across sectors, promote sustainable economic development to secure coastal livelihoods, conserve coastal and marine resources, manage environmental risks associated with changes in shoreline and climate, develop capacity in research and education and enhance stakeholder awareness, establish effective institutional and legal frameworks for implementation of the ICZM policy, and protect mangroves. The assistance will contribute to the achievement of the country’s NDC, which states the need to develop a resilient development framework for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction at national, provincial and community levels, and to enhance the carbon sink through sustainable management and protection of its coastal and marine ecosystems.
