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Adaptation to Climate Change in an Interior Pacific Island Village: a Case Study of Nawairuku, Ra, Fiji

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Abstract

We examine how residents of Nawairuku, an interior village in Ra, Fiji, are experiencing and responding to recent social and ecological changes. An analysis of data collected using semi-structured interviews with 27 households reveals that household adaptability – the ability or capacity to adapt to the impacts of climatic variations – depends on access to livelihood assets. All households have access to social capital through familial networks, which lessens the burden of extreme weather events, namely cyclones and flooding. Households with access to tangible assets such as land and the equipment and resources to utilize it, together with intangible assets like motivation and knowledge are better positioned to adapt their agricultural practices to changing climatic conditions. Households headed by a capable individual were also better positioned to adapt. We conclude that remoteness promotes self-sufficiency and initiative, and access to livelihood assets influences household capacity to adapt.

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Notes

  1. iTaukei = Indigenous Fijian people

  2. Mataqali = A clan; primary Indigenous land-owning unit

  3. Sevusevu = A traditional yaqona presentation made when something is requested

  4. Talanoa refers to a process in which two or more people talk together, or where one person tells a story while the others listen (Nabobo-Baba 2006).

  5. Bure = traditional Fijian house made of locally sourced natural materials (wood, vines, leaves)

  6. This dataset was obtained from records kept by the turaga-ni-koro (village headman) who reported the damage to authorities for recovery compensation.

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Acknowledgements

Vinaka vakalevu to the people of Nawairuku for their wonderful hospitality, generosity and support for this research. Thank you to those who shared your knowledge, experiences, stories and insights that are the heart of this paper. Thank you Teresa and Danny Rietberg for introducing us to Nawairuku and for your continued support of the research. Thank you, Lui Manuel, Nadroga-Navosa Provincial Council and Jeremy Hills, University of South Pacific (Suva campus), for your partnership and in-country support. The contributions of Professor Roy Sidle, Dr. Christine Jacobson and Dr. Vikki Schaffer, and members of the Environmental Change Research Group in the Sustainability Research Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast, notably Eric Lede, Mathew Brown, Genevieve Lalonde, David Fawcett, Rachele Wilson and Kerrie Pickering, are also acknowledged. Thank you to Marie Puddister for Fig. 1.

Funding

This research was carried out with the aid of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship awarded to Currenti and the University of the Sunshine Coast Fellowship program (Pearce).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia

    Renee Currenti, Tristan Pearce, Brendan Doran & Roger Kitson

  2. Department of Geography, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Tristan Pearce

  3. Nawairuku Village, Ra Province, Fiji

    Teresia Salabogi, Luke Vuli & Kiniviliame Salabogi

  4. Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    James Ford

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  1. Renee Currenti
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Correspondence to Tristan Pearce.

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Ethical Approval

The research was undertaken with the agreement of the village of Nawairuku and the research was licensed by the Fiji Department of Immigration (#I7497899). Study protocols were approved by the Human Research Ethics Boards at the University of the Sunshine Coast (A/15/751) and University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Currenti, R., Pearce, T., Salabogi, T. et al. Adaptation to Climate Change in an Interior Pacific Island Village: a Case Study of Nawairuku, Ra, Fiji. Hum Ecol 47, 65–80 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-019-0049-8

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