Moving people in a changing climate: lessons from two case studies in Fiji

Annah Piggott-McKellar; Karen E McNamara; Patrick Nunn; Seci T Sekinini

doi:10.3390/socsci8050133

Back

Moving people in a changing climate: lessons from two case studies in Fiji

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Moving people in a changing climate: lessons from two case studies in Fiji

Annah Piggott-McKellar, Karen E McNamara, Patrick Nunn and Seci T Sekinini

Social Sciences, Vol.8(5), 133

2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8050133

Files and links (2)

pdf

PDF - Published Version (Open Access)1.07 MBDownload View

Published VersionPDF - Published Version (Open Access)CC BY V4.0, Open Access

url

https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8050133View

Published Version

Abstract

relocation

resettlement

livelihoods

Pacific Islands

migration

SIDS

vulnerability

exposure

High levels of vulnerability to climate change impacts are rendering some places uninhabitable. In Fiji, four communities have already initiated or completed the task of moving their homes and livelihoods to less exposed locations, with numerous more communities earmarked for future relocation. This paper documents people's lived experiences in two relocated communities in Fiji-Denimanu and Vunidogoloa villages-and assesses the outcomes of the relocations on those directly a ected. This study in particular seeks to identify to what extent livelihoods have been either positively or negatively a ected by relocation, and whether these relocations have successfully reduced exposure to climate-related hazards. This study shows that planned climate-induced relocations have the potential to improve the livelihoods of a ected communities, yet if these relocations are not managed and undertaken carefully, they can lead to unintended negative impacts, including exposure to other hazards. We find that inclusive community involvement in the planning process, regular and intentional monitoring and evaluation, and improving livelihoods through targeted livelihood planning should be accounted for in future relocations to ensure outcomes are beneficial and sustainable.

Details

Title: Moving people in a changing climate: lessons from two case studies in Fiji
Authors: Annah Piggott-McKellar (Corresponding Author) - University of Queensland
Karen E McNamara (Author) - University of Queensland
Patrick Nunn (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Social Sciences
Seci T Sekinini (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Social Sciences
Publication details: Social Sciences, Vol.8(5), 133; 17
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2019
DOI: 10.3390/socsci8050133
ISSN: 2076-0760
Copyright note: Copyright © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450888502621
Output Type: Journal article