Climate Change Adaptation Plan, Choiseul Bay Township,

Solomon Islands Shannon McGuire, Principal Planner Buckley Vann Town Planning Consultants, Brisbane, Australia

ICLEI: 2015 Resilient Cities Congress, Bonn

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Presentation outline

• Context

• Drivers for relocation

• About the Choiseul Bay Climate Change Adaptation Plan

• Community engagement

• Implementation

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Context

Drivers for relocation

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Taro Island very low lying

Major coastal hazards:

tsunami

coastal storms and storm tide inundation

shoreline erosion

Climate change & sea level rise impacts

Limited land supply

Largest centre (900 residents) serving catchment of 26,000 people.

Land acquired for new township site

Drivers for relocation

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Shift in position from ‘expansion’ to ‘relocation’ .

Limited space for refuge in 2014 from tsunami and virtually no space by 2090 due to SLR.

People evacuating by boat to mainland

Community engagement revealed: people fearful of tsunami

people seeing changes in ocean and loss of land

strong desire to relocate from Taro Is, not just expand.

Need action plan to manage existing and future risks and relocation.

2014 tsunami hazard

2090 tsunami hazard

Study area

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Choiseul Bay Township Climate Change Adaptation Plan

A plan has been prepared that:

shows how climate change hazards are likely to affect Taro Island and new town site;

makes recommendations about how to protect the community and important areas from hazards & improve resilience;

guides how and when new development & relocation should occur in future.

Choiseul Bay Township Climate Change Adaptation Plan

Natural hazard mapping:

- defined and quantified natural hazards

- time periods: 2014, 2030, 2055 and 2090

- used SLR projections based on 5th (IPCC) report

Risk assessment and adaptation options

Vision and planning scheme

Adaptation Plan including schedule of works for relocation of capital

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• Emergency Response Plan

• Asset and infrastructure management

• Shoreline revegetation

• Monitoring

• Vision and Planning Scheme for new town on mainland

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Choiseul Bay Township Climate Change Adaptation Plan

Community engagement Community & political

ownership essential for

successful implementation

Fundamental to every stage of

climate change adaptation

planning

Engagement strategy for ‘whole

of community’

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In total, the project team spoke to over 300 community members!

Community engagement

• Lead the community on a ‘technical journey’

• Make complex things simple

• Draw out and validate community values

• Show how feedback was reflected in:

- Adaptation options

- Vision and planning for new town

• Highly graphical engagement materials

• English is not their first language “The project followed the ways

of our traditions – talking with people, listening to people and reflecting the desires of the people.”

Premier, Jackson Kiloe, Premier Choiseul Province

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Valued Land, Assets and

Infrastructure

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In total, the project team spoke to over 300 community members!

Valued Assets at Choiseul

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Community engagement Community ownership important

because: risk assessment is subjective and relies on

judgement decisions to assign likelihood and consequence levels.

community engagement used to validate and refine risk assessment outcomes

Community engagement also ensures: local knowledge is reflected in adaptation

options options are practical, realistic and

implemented within means and financial constraints of community

options fit for purpose and acceptable to community to optimise chances of implementation.

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Vision for New Provincial Capital

A Strategic Plan for the New Choiseul Bay Town

Implementation Now reviewing town layout against topographic

survey of Lot 277.

Project office being set up and project planner on Taro by end of 2015.

Priority tasks:

- Follow up community engagement

- Rainwater tanks to increase water supply

- Review program of works

- Source funds for works and studies

- Gazettal of local planning scheme

- Emergency Response Plan & refuge shelter

- Dilapidation audit of buildings and infrastructure

- Commence negotiations with customary landowners for land and sea access

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Thank you

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Extent and likelihood of natural hazards

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2030 tsunami hazard 2090 tsunami hazard

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Tsunami Hazards at 2014 Tsunami Hazards at 2090

Site Analysis

Site Analysis

Integrating hazard and risk assessments into planning

– Planning scheme, a key statutory tool

– Shape and layout of town based on 2090 hazard mapping

– Emergency evacuation informed planning outcomes

– Direct where development can occur and ‘no go’ areas – avoidance option

– Identify zones and uses that respond to risk and constraints

– Embed across all levels of scheme: • Vision & strategic policy to relocate over time

• Detailed provisions eg: design & location requirements for hospital, tsunami refuge shelter and interim uses

• Protecting reefs and mangroves

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Honiara flood refuge centre

What made the project successful? Multi-disciplinary team essential for integration of science, engineering,

planning, community engagement and local knowledge

Community engagement strategy – key tool

Communicated key messages of science & risk simply - relied on highly graphical materials

Community input, ownership and understanding – all stages

Vision & community values – very powerful

Good natural hazard mapping essential - define extent and likelihood

Highly localised information was geo-referenced into GIS to inform planning

Understand risk and consequences over time and integrate across all levels of planning

Focus on priority risks and stage actions & planning responses

Adaptation actions ‘fit for purpose’

Strongly reflects community feedback and embeds this into adaptation actions and planning for new town.

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