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Coping with extreme weather: communities in Fiji and Vanuatu share their experiences and knowledge

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Abstract

Local communities across the Pacific Island region have long prepared for and managed extreme weather events. Strategies to cope with extreme weather, particularly cyclones and droughts, have involved using particular planting techniques, initiating innovative water storage practices, and employing food preservation tactics to survive. These local experiences and knowledge have been passed on between generations through stories and sharing practical know-how; however, very little formal documentation has transpired to date. This research attempts to document and synthesis these experiences and knowledge to safeguard them through written accounts but also demonstrate how Pacific communities can provide valuable, appropriate and effective strategies to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events. In-depth interviews (n = 40) were conducted with community members from three villages in Fiji (Naselesele, Qeleni and Yanuca) and three villages in Vanuatu (Piliura, Tassiriki and Lonamilo). While typically missing from community vulnerability and risk assessments in the Pacific, local experiences and knowledge are a core strength in enhancing adaptive capacity and planning community-based activities.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to extend a very warm thank you to those we worked with for their time, important insights and valuable contributions. We are indebted to these community members in Naselesele, Qeleni and Yanuca villages in Fiji, and Piliura, Tassiriki and Lonamilo villages in Vanuatu. We also wish to warmly thank Mr. Ame Tuisavusavu in Fiji and Mr. William (Bani) Arudovo in Vanuatu for their assistance in the communities. We are also grateful to the European Union, through the Global Climate Change Alliance, for funding this research. Finally, thank you to the reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Karen Elizabeth McNamara

  2. Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji Islands

    Shirleen Shomila Prasad

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  1. Karen Elizabeth McNamara
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  2. Shirleen Shomila Prasad
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Correspondence to Karen Elizabeth McNamara.

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McNamara, K.E., Prasad, S.S. Coping with extreme weather: communities in Fiji and Vanuatu share their experiences and knowledge. Climatic Change 123, 121–132 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-1047-2

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