PacifiC iSlAndS Meteorological ServiCeS in ACtion A Compendium of Climate Services Case Studies Compendium prepared by SPREP in partnership with WMO and Environment and Climate Change Canada Compiled by Christina Leala-Gale, FINPAC Project Manager, SPREP Reviewed by: Dr Netatua Pelesikoti, Director, Climate Change Division, SPREP and PICS Panel Members: Ofa Faʹanunu (Tonga Meteorological Service) Simon McGree (BoM) Neil Plummer (BoM) Molly Powers-Tora (BoM) Grant Smith (BoM) Dean Solofa (SPC) Andrew Tait (NIWA) SPREP Climate Change Division staff Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) PO Box 240 Apia, Samoa [email protected] www.sprep.org Our vision: A resilient Pacific environment sustaining our livelihoods and natural heritage in harmony with our cultures. Copyright © Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), 2016. Reproduction for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided that the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written consent of the copyright owner. Cover photo: Mr Posa Skelton SPREP Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Pacific Islands Meteorological Services in Action : a compendium of climate services case studies / compiled by Christina Leala-Gale. Apia, Samoa : SPREP, 2016. 100 p. 29 cm. ISBN: 978-982-04-0633-9 (print) 978-982-04-0634-6 (e-copy) 1. Meteorological services – Oceania. 2. Meteorological services – Case studies – Oceania. 3. Climatology – Case studies – Oceania. I. Leala-Gale, Christina. II. Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). III. Title. 551.510996 The Pacific Islands Climate Services (PICS) Panel endorsed by the Pacific Meteorological Council in July 2013 and established in March 2014 is a technical expert group for Climate Services. Goals of the PICS Panel are to ‘improve coordination, continuity, and integration of projects, programmes, and initiatives that support climate services at national, regional, and global levels among others. This compendium was identified a key priority of the PICS Panel Action Plan highlighting the need to document progress made by each NMS through their experiences in implementing climate services at the national level. The compendium is also able to identify opportunities and best practices for contributing to resilient development in the region. Special Acknowledgement: We would like to thank the WMO and Environment and Climate Change Canada for their contribution to the development of the compendium. Special thanks to the team of mentors: Pauli Jokinen (FMI), CeciliaTamara Avellan (WMO), Salesa Nihmei, Sunny Seuseu, Tommy Moore (SPREP), Melissa Matthews and Molly Powers-Tora (BoM), and Tiffany Straza (Science Editor) who provided guidance to the authors from NMHS during the Writeshop. Our vision: A resilient Pacific environment sustaining our livelihoods and natural heritage in harmony with our cultures. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is the regional coordinating organisation for the protection and sustainable development of the Pacific island environment. SPREP was established by its member governments in1992 to support cooperation and coordination across the region. The agreement establishing SPREP came into force in 1993, officially making the organisation an autonomous body. With headquarters located in Apia, Samoa, SPREP works closely with its 26 Member countries and territories – along with partners, donors and local communities – to deliver on environmental management and sustainable development in the region in four priority areas: BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT WASTE MANAGEMENT AND POLLUTION CONTROL CLIMATE CHANGE ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND GOVERNANCE KEY ACRONYMS FINPAC The Finnish-Pacific Project, coordinated by SPREP. www.sprep.org/finpac SPREP Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. www.sprep.org WMO World Meteorological Organization. www.wmo.int Foreword The livelihoods of Pacific communities are dependent on weather and climate conditions. In the large Pacific region, with diverse, far-spread communities with limited transport and communication services, providing targeted weather and climate information and forecasts is a complex task. This compendium of case studies from Pacific island countries is a product of the Finnish-Pacific (FINPAC) project on ‘Reduced vulnerability of Pacific islands country’s villagers livelihoods to the effects of climate change’, funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA) and executed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), and the Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS). This compendium showcases some of the Pacific contributions to the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Our objective for this compendium was to document the lessons learned from delivering climate services in the Pacific region. The experiences of National Meteorological Services in their work with different users and stakeholders provide vital information for future management and resourcing of climate and weather services. These case studies were provided by Pacific authors and initiated during a regional writing workshop by FINPAC and SPREP in partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Environment Canada, and the Australia Bureau of Meteorology through its Climate and Oceans Support Programme (COSPPac). The Pacific Islands Climate Services (PICS) Panel reviewed the compendium contents. The vital services provided by Pacific Islands National Meteorological Services are supported by strong communication and mutual understanding of successful strategies. We invite you to learn from the authors here and go on to share your own story. Kosi Latu Matti Eerikäinen Dr. Petteri Taalas Director General, SPREP FINPAC Project Coordinator, Secretary General, Finnish Meteorological Institute World Meteorological Organization 2 Pacific Islands Meteorological Services in Action Table of Contents Foreword 2 Regional: Empowering National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to share their stories 5 SECTION 1: AGRICULTURE AND BIODIVERSITY 12 Fiji: Using seasonal rainfall predictions to support subsistence farmers in disaster risk reduction 13 Palau: The Protected Areas Network (PAN) 18 Vanuatu: Climate forecasts for honeybee husbandry 22 SECTION 2: COMMUNICATION OF CLIMATE INFORMATION TO THE LAST MILE 26 Fiji: Climate information is essential to the energy sector 27 Niue: Community awareness of climate services 32 Samoa: When every minute counts: Text messaging (SMS) to alert communities in times of disaster 36 Tuvalu: Communicating climate information to communities 40 Vanuatu: Collaboration to strengthen climate services: the Vanuatu Climate Action Network 43 Vanuatu: Climate Field School 47 Regional: Building climate- and disaster-ready communities through improved national meteorological services: the Finnish-Pacific (FINPAC) Project approach 53 SECTION 3: DATA MANAGEMENT 60 Papua New Guinea: Rainfall data bank for short-term and long -term climate prediction 61 Samoa: Climate data digitisation 66 Vanuatu: Community-based rainfall network monitoring 69 SECTION 4: DISASTER AND HEALTH 76 Cook Islands: Monitoring and communicating drought in the Southern Cook Islands 77 Federated States of Micronesia: Climate information and services strengthen decisions 82 Kiribati: Coastal hazard Outlook for the Line Group, Kiribati 85 Kiribati: Extreme Spring Tide information contributes to disaster risk reduction 90 Marshall Islands: Role of the Weather Service Office is important for drought response 97 Solomon Islands: Using climate information to assist malaria monitoring and control 101 Sunny Seuseu, SPREP REGIONAL Empowering National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to share their stories Author organisation SPREP and WMO Contact person’s name Netatua Pelesikoti Contact person’s email [email protected] Providers of the service (including partners) SPREP, WMO and COSPPac Project timeframe 2012–2017 Location Southwest Pacific Primary target audience Technical Staff of NMHS, Donor Partners Funding mechanism(s) FINPAC, WMO, Environment and Climate Change Canada Summary In a large, diverse region like the Pacific, clear and concise communication of both successes and lessons learned is vital for further effective development. A workshop was created to help the participants develop stories to “tell the world what the Pacific is doing on climate services.” The week-long writing workshop or “writeshop” created a space for climate service providers to learn outreach writing skills and how to analyse their own efforts. The writeshop was coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) with support from the Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac) and Environment and Climate Change Canada. This first writeshop for climate services in the Pacific was a productive and intense week of growth for the participants, resulting in 20 stories for a regional compendium. Background The Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) was established in 2009 as an international initiative spearheaded by the WMO to advance the use of climate information in