|
Building
community resilience to coastal erosion in small islands Introduction During 2003-2004 as the Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States, developed in 1994 in Barbados, has come under intensive review, there has been much emphasis on the vulnerability of small islands. This focus has included environmental vulnerability such as island exposure to hurricanes and sea level rise, and also economic and social vulnerability. The discussions have also concentrated on resilience, or the ability to cope with, adapt to and shape change without losing options for future development. This is seen as a proactive response to island vulnerability. Coastal erosion is one of the pressing changes with which islands are having to cope. Research over the past two decades has shown that coastal erosion is a serious problem in the Caribbean islands with erosion rates varying between 0.3 - 3.0+ m/year. The causes of the erosion are both natural e.g. hurricanes, high energy winter swells and sea level rise, and anthropogenic, including. beach sand mining, coral reef deterioration resulting from pollution, badly placed coastal development and poorly planned sea defences. Public concern about this erosion has grown over recent years especially as the erosion has impacted the economically important tourist beaches. Many islands have undertaken expensive beach protection and restoration projects following major hurricanes, e.g. at Maunday's Bay in Anguilla, expensive beach renourishment projects were undertaken in 1995, 1997 and 1998 following major hurricanes; in Nevis beach renourishment and offshore breakwaters were constructed at Pinneys Beach after Hurricane Lenny in 1999. These and many other similar projects in the islands have amounted to millions of dollars. Erosion also impacts other beaches, which may not be major tourism attractions but are nevertheless important island resources especially for nearby coastal communities and island residents. Beaches are important resources for island residents, providing much needed social and recreational functions - family picnics and parties, simple relaxation and enjoyment, games, sports and exercise - in addition, they serve other functions such as fish landing sites, protection for land and buildings, boat launching sites. Most Caribbean islands have few public parks for local residents, usually the beach fulfils this function. Various initiatives have been undertaken to develop local capacity to manage and enhance island beaches. Regional initiatives have included:
Many other community-based initiatives have been undertaken by individual islands, the following list provides some examples (it is not inclusive):
During a regional workshop, held in Cuba 24-27th February 2004 under the sponsorship of the COSALC project, these and other initiatives were presented and discussed. Participants recommended that a project proposal be developed to help the residents of Caribbean islands cope with coastal erosion, especially at the community level and that the project be called 'Building community resilience to coastal erosion in small islands'. Workshop participants discussed and developed the framework for this project. Project objectives The main objective of the project is to sensitise island residents about small-scale community based responses to coastal erosion. Specific goals are as follows:
Project activities The project would have three main components: (1) Pilot demonstration projects A series of pilot demonstration projects in different islands, all focusing on sensitisation of communities about beach erosion issues. The sensitisation would be combined with the implementation of specific activities e.g. tree planting, beach clean-ups, beautification, sand dune restoration, etc. These projects could build on existing activities, e.g. sand dune fences in Anguilla, Adopt-a-beach programmes in San Andres, reconstruction of groynes in Mayabeque, Cuba, Sandwatch-related activities with youth groups; as well as starting new activities. While all projects would include sensitisation, the particular activities undertaken would depend on a specific community's needs. The projects would run for a minimum of two years and could be organised by government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community organisations or combinations of the above. (2) Communications and networking The projects would be linked using electronic discussion groups, email and an interactive website. Other facilities for interaction and communication should be included such as exchange visits between the different projects, telephone discussions and telephone conference calls, video conferencing. Each project would develop its own communication plan using newspapers, radio and television to inform those inside and outside the project about their activities. (3) Guidelines for building community resilience to coastal erosion Based on the outcome of the field projects and the lessons learnt, a set of guidelines on ways to build community resilience to coastal erosion would be produced. These guidelines would cover the following topics:
Geographical coverage The following islands would be included in the project in the first instance, they include large and small islands: Anguilla
Project duration It is envisaged that the project would cover a three-year period. Work Plan
|