When Cardinal John Ribat of Papua New Guinea was young, he and his neighbors noticed that their well water tasted of salt. Crops also failed as the soil became salty. Papua New Guinea consists of a large island in the Pacific Ocean surrounded by smaller islands and atolls. Residents of the island where his family […]
Category: Melanesia
New Coconut Planting Method
The Vanuatu Government is currently working on a National Coconut Strategy to revive the coconut industry of Vanuatu, due to the effects of climate change and cyclones growing increasingly stronger.
Impact of climate adaptation methods used for Nguna and Pele
Pele and Nguna islands are off-shore islands of Efate, Shefa Province, with the distance between their closest points about 100 metres. Pele with a population of 400 has a land area of 4.3 square kilometres, highest point of 198 metres and with four villages. Nguna is a bigger island with a population of 1,300 (2009 […]
Living on the Edge of Climate Change
The sinking island of Fanalei STANDING outside his home at Fouele settlement, Fredrick Maeaba gazes across the calm waters of Port Adam passage in the southern region of Malaita. His eyes were fixed on Fanalei Island, located some four kilometres across the waters. He was once a resident on that island. But six years ago […]
Urban Flooding, a New Threat to the Capital of Solomon Islands
LEADERS of Solomon Islands, a tiny country in the pacific now realise the importance of preparedness to comprehend the impact of climate change and the changing weather pattern. In recent years, climate change has brought in new challenges for the local government and other stakeholders to mitigate. Preparedness was weak and slow though both local […]
The Island Way of Addressing Climate Change
The people of Mbuke Island in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea are making progress through adaption and mitigation efforts to address climate change. The Mbuke islanders have silently suffered the long term effects of climate change, caused by global warming, for over five decades now. With a population of 420, the people have seen and […]
Farms under water
THERE is nothing Rama can do but watch as saltwater slowly creeps up his six and a half-acre sugarcane farm in Varavu, coastal Ba. The 68-year-old said the last time he harvested cane of any real value was three years ago. Every time the tide pulls in, Rama says, another few precious millimetres of what […]
Best prawn harvest last year for Tagabe aquaculture centre
The Department of Fisheries’ aquaculture centre at Tagabe in Port Vila made one of its best harvests of fresh water prawns last year and earned nearly Vt200,000 from the four months stock. Aquaculture Officer, Andrew William, said their first harvest at the trial centre was in 2011, but last year was one of the best […]
Culturing of tilapia and fresh water prawns to address impact of climate change
The Department of Fisheries through its culture of tilapia and fresh water prawns is reaching out to more farmers in the country to make use of the program for both food security and income generating purposes. Andrew William, Aquaculture Officer of the department of Fisheries says the main reason for the culture of tilapia and […]
Vetiver grass, a solution to erosion
Vetiver, a deeply rooted grass with tall stems and long thin leaves is considered very effective in controlling coastal erosion in Vanuatu. The Department of Agriculture (DoA), through the Vanuatu Coastal Adaptation Project (VCAP), is introducing vetiver grass to communities to prevent soil erosion from upper land polluting polluting marine lives. Many villages at the […]