Federated States of Micronesia

In 2012, the SPC/GIZ CCCPIR programme along with the SPC Global Climate Change Alliance: Pacific Small Island States project became members in the FSM Joint Management Network (JMN), which includes all  relevant government and NGO stakeholders in the field of climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk management (DRM). The network is coordinating DRM/CCA activities in FSM, especially at community level, to increase coordination and avoid overlapping and duplication.

In 2012 CCCPIR started jointly with the SPC Coastal Fisheries Programme (CFP) to support FSM in a coastal fisheries management programme, which aims to increase the resilience of local communities to the present and future effects of climate change. The first pilot site has been identified in Yap State. Recent studies in FSM have demonstrated the dramatic decline in coastal fisheries resources. Identified reasons are over-exploitation due to population growth, use of overly-efficient and sometimes destructive fishing methods, and land-based activities, e.g. near-shore infrastructure development that affects marine habitats. These have all raised concern among national and state governments, local municipalities and island communities. To address these issues, the national government, jointly with SPC and NGO partners, started the implementation of a community-based ecosystem approach to fisheries management (CEAFM). CEAFM combines three perspectives: fisheries management, ecosystem management, and community-based management. Through the CEAFM programme, local communities work together with government and other partners on the management of fisheries within an ecosystem context.

Achievements:

• July 2012 – A planning workshop was conducted with national and regional counterparts, as well as NGOs, to identify potential pilot sites.
• November 2012 – consultations were carried out in three selected pilot communities in order to jointly develop CEAFM management plans. Amongst other things, these plans identify on-the-ground actions for sustainable management of coastal fisheries resources and provide key adaptation activities for strengthening resilience to the effects of climate change.

Activities in 2013:

• February 2013 – A three-day workshop, which focused on the construction of nearshore fish aggregatiing devices (FADs), took place in Yap; all three communities were represented. Outcome: six FADs were successfully constructed and deployed to areas accessible by communities. FADs will increase food security by offering easy access to pelagic fish resources. Thus, they will increase communities' resilience to future climate change and disasters.Training on data collection and monitoring of the deployed six FADs to members of interested communities
• April 2013 - training on data collection and mnitoring of the deployed six FADs to members of interested communities
• May 2013 - training on FADs fishing methods to secure proper use of the devices in the future
• July 2013 - extension of the CEAFM approach to other FSM states, starting with Chuuk State.

In Kosrae, CCCPIR is developing an adaptation management approach to sustain coastal hazard risk reduction. Jointly with the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), the programme will perform an assessment of shoreline and development changes and update the Kosrae Shoreline Management Plan from 2000.

Achievements:

• Production of the Kosrae Shoreline Management Plan: Repositioning for resilience.

Activities in 2013:

• April 2013 - stakeholder engagement to discuss, redefine and finalise draft shoreline management plan, including an awareness-raising activities in selected Yapese communities
• November 2013 - the updated version of the Kosrae Shoreline Management Plan was published.