United Nations Development Program Country: Vanuatu PROJECT DOCUMENT1 Project Title: Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Zone in Vanuatu UNDAF Outcome(s): Outcome 1.1: Improved resilience of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), with particular focus on communities, through integrated implementation of sustainable environmental management, climate change adaptation/mitigation, and disaster risk management. UNDP Environment and Sustainable Development Primary Corporate Outcome: Growth is inclusive and sustainable, incorporating productive capacities that create employment and livelihoods for the poor and excluded (Strategic Plan 2014-2017, Outcome 1) UNDP Secondary Corporate Outcome: Countries are able to reduce the likelihood of conflict and lower the risk of natural disasters, including from climate change (Strategic Plan 2014-2017, Outcome 5) Expected Country Program Outcomes: Sub-Regional Program Outcome 4 (UNDAF Outcome 1.1): Improved resilience of PICTs, with particular focus on communities, through integrated implementation of sustainable environment management, climate change adaptation/mitigation and disaster risk management Sub-Regional Program Outcome 2 (UNDAF Outcome 5.1): Regional, national, local and traditional governance systems are strengthened, respecting and upholding human rights, especially women’s rights in line with international standards. Executing Entity/Implementing Partner: Ministry for Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-hazards, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management. Implementing Entity/Responsible Partners: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Biosecurity, Department of Local Authorities (DLA) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Public Works Department of Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management. Total resources required: $ 38,927,253 Programme Period: 5 years Total allocated resources: $ 38,927,253 Atlas Award ID: 00082472 . LDCF (GEF): $ 8,030,000 Project ID: 00091375 . Co-financing: PIMS # 4866 o Government $21,170,341 Start date: July 2014 o UNDP $ 2,731,344 End Date June 2018 o Other $ 6,995,568 Management Arrangements: NIM PAC Meeting Date: May 2014 Total $ 30,897,253 1 For UNDP supported GEF funded projects as this includes GEF-specific requirements 1 2 Brief Description Vanuatu ranks as the world’s most vulnerable country due to its high exposure to natural disasters, scattered island geography, narrow economic base, inadequate communication and transportation networks, and limited capacity to cope with disasters including those caused or exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Annually Vanuatu is impacted by a number of cyclones, which are expected to become more intense under current climatic projections, with coastal communities and ecosystems being most vulnerable and impacted by these events. Vanuatu will be heavily impacted by climate change with future scenarios projecting increased temperatures, sea-level rise, and increased severity of cyclones, increased ocean temperatures and ocean acidification. In addition, an increased likelihood of an increase in the frequency of El Niño events will present its own long-term seasonal challenges. These challenges, combined with rapid population growth spread over 80 islands, an agricultural and coastal-based economy facing acute medium- term challenges and inadequate delivery of government services, especially in remote areas will continue to limit the potential for long-term sustainable development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The Government of Vanuatu has been proactive in global and regional dialogues on climate change and finalised its National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) in 2007. The project will explicitly address three of eleven priorities identified in the NAPA including: 1) community-based marine resource management, 2) integrated coastal zone management, and 3) mainstreaming climate change into policy and national planning processes. The NAPA places particular emphasis on the need for community-based marine resource management, embracing both traditional and modern practices and enhancing the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities. To address these priorities, the project will focus on five of the adaptation options outlined in the NAPA including: i) development of provincial / local adaptation and ICM plans, ii) climate proofing of infrastructure design and development planning, iii) development of an efficient early warning system, iv) awareness raising and capacity building, and v) coastal re-vegetation and rehabilitation. Project activities are organized according to four inter-related components, as summarized below: Component 1: Targeted community approaches to CC adaptation responsive to stakeholder needs and priorities. These interventions will address major environmental and associated socio-economic problems facing coastal communities from climate change in areas such as land degradation, biodiversity loss, and reef destruction which severely undermine prospects for sustainable development, including food security. The project will also build on and enhance CC adaptation initiatives through climate-proofing of infrastructure as needed. All infrastructure improvements will encourage re-vegetation to mitigate soil loss, improve the stability of the ground, and provide enhanced general ecosystem resilience. To further enhance the ability of coastal ecosystem to withstand impacts of climate change, the project will also identify how non-climate human induced stressors on the coastal zone can be reduced. Component 2: Support information and early warning systems on coastal hazards to address the current lack of systematic analysis and prediction of climate-related events. The Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Department (VMGD) has experienced problems in terms of processing historical data, maintaining high observation standards and further developing services due to funding, training and staffing constraints. Although people living near town sites have access to climate information, people living in remote areas including outer islands are seriously affected by lack of weather information. The project design will investigate the potential for automated weather stations and monitoring of coastal flooding through river stream gauges. Component 3: Strengthen climate change governance by building upon the Government of Vanuatu’s commitment to mainstreaming climate change into national planning and development plans. Climate governance is currently hindered by lack of expertise, competing demands, and lack of coordination between different policy sectors as well as between national, provincial and local governments. Capacity building activities will target key staff of national, provincial and local level governments, as well as community leaders and residents where the project will be implemented. Component 4: Enhancing knowledge of environment issues is very important given the generally low level of understanding of most of the population about climate change issues and impacts. The NAPA emphasizes that awareness raising and education are core issues that should be an integral part of any proposed CC adaptation projects. The lack of human, financial, and technical resources often constrains information sharing, education, and knowledge generation on climate change. Knowledge management activities need to take into account Vanuatu’s high literacy rate (94% in 2009) and limited access to the internet (middle to bottom in global rankings). The project will also document lessons learned, especially those that might be useful for replication in other sites and make these accessible to stakeholders. 3 Table of Contents Annexes ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 List of Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 1 Situation analysis ............................................................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 1.2 Context .............................................................................................................................................................. 8 1.2.1 Country context ............................................................................................................................................. 8 1.2.2 Climate change context ................................................................................................................................. 9 1.2.3 Governance context .................................................................................................................................... 11 1.3 Continuous challenges, root causes and impacts ............................................................................................ 14 1.3.1 Land use, eutrophication and sedimentation in coastal and upland areas .................................................. 14 1.3.2 Coastal erosion ...........................................................................................................................................