Adaptive capacity in Pacific Islands: Responding to coastal and climatic change in Nagigi village, Fiji

Abstract

Coastal communities across the Pacific are increasingly recognized as places of priority for climate adaptation. Pacific Island communities are developing and using strategies to adapt their lives and livelihoods to climatic and environmental risks. Highlighting the case study of Nagigi village, Fiji, we identify adaptation responses to multiple environmental and socio-economic pressures including changing social structures, food insecurity, coastal erosion, and extreme weather events. Through a decolonised qualitative methodology, and building on conceptual frameworks of adaptative capacity, we examine six dimensions that shape local adaptive capacity in Nagigi: local assets and resources; experiential and communicated knowledge of socioecological change; social organization; agency and capacity to act, including among women; diversity of adaptation options; and Pacific worldviews and values including communal values, commitment to Vanua, and stewardship of local resources. This paper offers insights into how community members understand and respond to multiple pressures, highlighting key dimensions of adaptive capacity. It challenges discourses that focus excessively on the vulnerability of Pacific Islanders by highlighting local adaptation to changing socio-ecological and climatic circumstances.