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Building coastal resilience to reduce climate change impact in Bulu Bulu Village, South Sulawesi

Source: CARE International Indonesia

Summary of Adaptation Challenge

The village of Bulu Bulu is located at the East coast of South Sulawesi in Bone district. The communities’ economic activities mainly depend on fishing, seaweed cultivation and farming. Consequences of climate change are shifting of seasonal patterns, a prolonged dry season which hampers access to clean water and a shorter but more intense rainy season. In combination with an increased frequency of strong winds and waves, the latter leads to flooding of coastal areas and the mixing of salt water from the sea with the ground water.

Results using the Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis methodology showed that seaweed farmers, fishermen using floating cage and farmers are most vulnerable toward the impact of climate change. Although not empirically proven, people believe that climate change has made them poorer.

Methodology

CARE project staff and governmental and community representatives conducted a Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis to gain information on climate change impact on livelihoods and existing adaptation strategies in target communities. Additionally CARE facilitated a “Village Vision Mapping” process in which the stakeholders identified the current situation in the village, developed an ideal state of their village and strategies to achieve these ideal conditions. Based on these findings, adaptation projects with communities and local government are designed. A feasibility study is conducted to ensure that interventions are climate smart. Local government is additional trained in budgeting to be able to integrate best adaptation practices into development plans.

Adaptation Options:

In response to the impact of climate change, the local community identified the following activities to strengthen their resilience towards climate change impact:

  • Creating access to seasonal weather information for coastal communities enables farmers to adjusted their planting to the shifting seasonal patterns e.g. using specific seed types for a prolonged dry season
  • Elevation of dams to protect the fields from flooding
  • Generating alternative sources of income such as seaweed cultivation
  • Improving access to clean water

Key Messages

The use of methods, which are recognised in the project area such as the village vision mapping, facilitate the integration into planning processes.

Lessons Learnt

Village Vision Mapping is a tool with which the whole community, especially groups which are usually not actively involved in decision making processes, can be reached and activated to identify climate related environmental problems in the community and identify strategies to solve them. The document serves as input for the local annual development plans and the budgeting which is necessary to ensure sustainable continuation of the activities. The adaptation activities have to be reflected in the village regulation and agreed with the community. Respecting environmental regulations is crucial for the sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.

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