INSeaPTION News First User Workshop Maldives

First user workshop in the Maldives 11.02.18 – 17.02.18

During the first user workshop of INSeaPTION in the Maldives, the team has met with multiple stakeholders from the national government, local communities, academia and oceanographers, to start the process of co-developing coastal climate services for the Maldives.

In close cooperation with the Climate Change Department of the Ministry for Environment and Energy, user needs and current practices in coastal protection and adaptation have been discussed. Close attention was paid to identify the needs of policy-makers and coastal planners regarding coastal flood and erosion risk. Here, current decision-making processes and governance frameworks were discussed and the necessity to incorporate sea-level rise projections and information on biophysical impacts was highlighted. Already, concrete user-needs have crystallized.

First, the need for science based decision-making criteria for the allocation of resources for coastal adaptation was emphasized. As of now sea-level rise projections and shoreline dynamics have not been fully integrated in this decision-making process.

Second, users in the Maldives underlined the need to include sea-level rise projections in risk assessments for individual islands. Here, they are facing the challenge to distinguish between risk attributable to sea-level rise and other processes. This is especially important in the context of current discussions on international adaptation finance.

Additionally, the team has initiated discussions to share knowledge and build capacity in the course of the project. Here, especially first-hand experiences during a visit to the island of Fulidhoo in Vaavu Atoll were fruitful. Seeing the problems local communities face again underscored the urgent need for co-developing coastal climate services tailored to the need of decision-makers and local planners.

The first workshop thus gives an important input in the next phase of work in the INSeaPTION project. The project team is looking forward to developing the scientific work based on the identified needs of the Maldivian users. The team would like to sincerely thank the Maldivian Users for their time, commitment and hospitality. We anticipate a fruitful and rewarding collaboration in this exiting and unique project. Baraabaru!

Follow us on Twitter @inseaption for updates on coastal climate services in the Maldives and the upcoming first user-workshop in French Polynesia.

BY: Geronimo Gussmann (Global Climate Forum), Sandy Bisaro (Global Climate Forum) et Erwin Lambert (University Utrecht).