Building coastal resilience to reduce climate change impact in Poreang, South Sulawesi

Source: CARE International Indonesia

Summary of Adaptation Challenge

Poreang is a coastal village located North Luwu district in South Sulawesi. In the last ten years, the coastal zone landscape has changed significantly. Mangrove areas were converted into ponds for commercial aquaculture. Since and the village is affected by sea level rise, increased annual flooding and sedimentation, which lead to a fish stock decrease in coastal waters and hampers seaweed growth. As a result of this fishermen need income alternatives to support their family and to maintain their standard of living.

Methodology

CARE project staff and governmental and community representatives conducted a “Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis” to gain information on climate change impact on livelihoods and existing adaptation strategies in target communities.

Adaptation options

In response to extreme weather events which lead to the uncertainty of existing livelihoods the community and local government representatives agreed to train women in processing raw seaweed to crackers to generate an extra income. Nineteen women participated in a Training of Trainers for seaweed cracker processing organized by CARE and the Planning and Development Board of North Luwu District in March 2013. Back in their villages the women train other women in the process.

Key messages

Communities have already started to adapt to the changing environment. The existing approaches, which were in line with the developing strategies of local and provincial government, were further improved with support from technical experts. The best practices are integrated into development plans and implemented by the local government in the future.

Lessons learnt

The “Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis” (CVCA) was proved as helpful to build awareness in environmental changes. The assessment illustrated the need for climate data for the community to plan their seasonal activities whether to focus on fishing, seaweed cultivation or cracker production. With this data provided by the Indonesian Agency for Metrology, Climatology and Geophysics the seasonal calendar was improved. The community uses this calendar for the planning of their economic activities.

• Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (CVCA)