Climate Resilient Pacific Communities

Science solutions that support Pacific Island communities as they face the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security.

For New Zealanders, Pasifika people are family. As teina (younger sibling) to our Pacific tuakana (older sibling), we have an important role to play in supporting Pacific communities as they face the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security. There is an equity and justice component to this challenge because Pasifika peoples did not cause these problems, and yet they are likely to be disproportionately affected by them. Particularly vulnerable to the effects of rising sea levels, ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, and biosecurity and seafood safety threats, we need to ensure these communities are equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to build resilience and thrive in a changing climate.

Our vision is to support Pacific Island communities to gain a deeper scientific understanding of their aquatic systems, have the tools to rejuvenate and conserve these ecosystems, be empowered to transform their food systems towards more healthy, sustainable and resilient pathways, and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
With more than 20 years’ experience of supporting Pacific communities, we have been delivering positive impact through knowledge exchange, capability and capacity development, and problem solving.

We’re currently working with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research on a project called ‘Transformation pathways for Pacific coastal food systems’, which aims to develop and test processes and tools that transform coastal food systems in the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, resulting in improved diet, nutrition and community health; community food self-sufficiency; enhanced climate and disaster resilience; restoration and stewardship of natural resources, and diversified livelihoods.

Building on these individual pieces of work, Cawthron is in the early stages of developing a multidisciplinary ‘Pacific Hub’ that supports resilient communities in the Pacific through co-developed solutions tailored to real world problems. We intend to focus on marine and freshwater ecosystems and understanding their intrinsic links to Pacific communities. This includes our work with Pacific Island nations on aquaculture and food safety initiatives. Current partners include The Pacific Community (SPC), Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, United Nations Development Programme, The World Bank, Plan International, The Nature Conservancy, WWF Pacific, and Live & Learn.

We want to increasingly empower and enable local knowledge to steer the waka (boat) in partnership with science and we are eager to work with partners and funders who share this vision.