The climate change threat to the Pacific
The Pacific Islands Countries and Territories (PICTs) are widely regarded as among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. A major issue for PICTs over the coming decades, therefore, lies in their capacity to adapt and develop their resilience. But as global greenhouse gases emissions continue to increase, the range of adaptation options shrinks, and they become more uncertain and costly. In addition, biodiversity is also a jeopardized asset in the Pacific, which further threatens local livelihoods and the resilience of Pacific communities to climate change.
RESCCUE: a five-year regional project fostering resilience to climate change
RESCCUE (Restoration of ecosystem services and adaptation to climate change) was coordinated by the Pacific Community (SPC) from 2014 to 2019. Its overarching goal was to strengthen the resilience of Pacific Island Countries and Territories. To this end, RESCCUE supported adaptation to climate change through integrated coastal management, resorting especially to economic analysis as well as innovative economic and financial mechanisms.
The RESCCUE project operated both at the regional level and in one to two pilot sites in four countries and territories: Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
13 million Euros to deliver tangible changes
RESCCUE was funded primarily by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM). The project budget was 8.5 million Euros from AFD and FFEM, with an additional 4.5 million Euros in co-funding from a variety of other partners.
The first-ever carbon neutral project at SPC
Lessons learned
A thorough, bottom-up capitalization process involving all project partners and stakeholders allowed to draw lessons from five years of project implementation. Key products include:
- Results of the online survey;
- Syntheses of lessons-learnt workshops held at pilot sites in Fiji, French Polynesia, the Northern and Southern Provinces of New Caledonia, and Vanuatu; as well as at the regional level.