Progress made in Guimaras CCA and DRR

 

Coastal communities are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change on the ocean, including depleted marine ecosystems, sea-level rise, and coastal hazards such as storm surges. These climate change-related impacts have been experienced by Guimaras, a small island province located in Western Visayas, Philippines.

 

The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the PEMSEA Resource Facility (PRF) launched a pilot project that aims to facilitate the formulation and implementation of appropriate and timely Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures, in coordination with Guimaras Local Government Units (LGUs). This project is funded by Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) microgrant programmes with the purpose of accelerating coproduction of adaptation knowledge around the globe.

 

As part of this project, a workshop, Achieving Coastal Resilience Through Local Knowledge-Based Adaptation Planning: A Pilot Project in Guimaras Province, Philippines, was held on 2 March 2022. This workshop provided an opportunity to produce knowledge resources to inform the updating processes of Guimaras’ existing CCA and DRR plans. This was a hybrid workshop, incorporating both in-person and virtual attendance by organizers and stakeholders.

 

Four sessions were held, on climate impact analysis, hot spot identification, adaptation options, and adaptation pathways. Participants included those from the provincial government, all five Guimaras LGUs, the national government, the private sector, and academia. Included in these sessions was the use of the Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Platform (AP-PLAT), which provides climate downscaling tools. Some of these are discrete enough to be used at the municipal level.

 

The full report can be downloaded at https://dev-pemseaorg.pantheonsite.io/publications/meeting-documents/workshop-report-achieving-coastal-resilience-through-local-knowledge