A review of the impact of climate change adaptation projects will soon be underway in Tonga with the goal of nurturing initiatives that can have a lasting impact of at least ten-years plus.

The European Union-funded Global Climate Change Alliance Plus - Scaling Up Pacific Adaptation is about maximising the impact of climate change adaptation measures in specific sectors in ten countries. 

According to a statement issued by the Apia-based Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (S.P.R.E.P), the initiative will help guide future change adaptation initiatives in the Pacific.

The review is designed to improve impact assessment methodology and strategic planning at the national level.

“Tonga has been selected, based on agreed criteria, as the first trial country to carry out an impact assessment of past adaptation interventions and will focus on coastal protection.,” the S.P.R.E.P. statement reads

“Impact assessments in the selected trial countries will be carried out jointly with field practitioners that are national focal contacts, Department of Climate Change staff.

“To do this, information on past adaptation interventions completed in the last five years were compiled and an approach is adopted with a suite of tools to assess the impacts of these interventions.”

The project operates around an overall objective to enhance climate change adaptation and resilience within the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Tonga, and Tuvalu.

Community impact assessments will gauge how much social and behavioural change has been achieved in four key areas. 

The four key areas of focus are: health, food and water security, ecosystem services by the natural environment, and infrastructure and built environment.

“[The] team at S.P.R.E.P. will utilise every opportunity to connect virtually with the national focal contacts and provide technical support remotely,” the statement said. 

“[We will publish] more on this experience once there is buy-in, from field practitioners working with project partners at the Pacific Community (S.P.C) and The University of the South Pacific (U.S.P).”