A new project by the Federal Environment Ministry aims to protect coastal zones and ecosystems on Pacific Islands from the impacts of climate change. Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter signed the agreement on this project with David Sheppard, Director General at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Their meeting took place ahead of the UN summit on small island states on Samoa.
The livelihoods and natural foundations of life of many Pacific Island inhabitants are at risk due to rising sea levels, acidification of the oceans and increased occurrence of storms. The project, entitled “Natural Solutions to Climate Change in the Pacific Islands Region”, supports ecosystem-based measures to protect coastal zones and vital ecosystems on Pacific Islands.
At the meeting, Parliamentary State Secretary Schwarzelühr-Sutter emphasised the importance of ecosystems for island states as they promote natural adaptability and provide a natural basis of life for the inhabitants. This is at the heart of the project. It identifies vital services that ecosystems provide, for example protection against flooding and storms and food security. The project partners will also investigate the threats to these ecosystem services. This will serve as a basis for the development of suitable strategies on how to conserve ecosystems and use them in a way that helps the populations of Pacific Islands to adapt to climate change.
Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands will serve as pilot areas. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme will inform its other member states about the experience gained to enable other Pacific Islands to develop their own adaptation measures.
Through its International Climate Initiative (IKI), the Federal Ministry for the Environment and Building is promoting a range of cooperation projects with small island states in the field of climate action, biodiversity conservation and sustainable energy supply with funding of around 120 million euros. The project with the Pacific Regional Environment Programme extends the successful cooperation with this region to 2019 with funding of five million euros.