Vulnerability Assessment USP 2013

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Table of Contents

1.0Introduction 21.1 Climate Change Adaptation Project for Namdrik Atoll 2

1.2 Project Site - Mapping 3

1.3 Climate of the Island 4

1.4 Basic Socio-demographic Information 4

2.0 Methodology 5

3.0 Governance and Socio-economic Resources 6

3.1 Demography 6

3.2 Governance and Social system 7

3.3 Human Resources 7

3.4 Resource and Economy 8

3.5 Development Plans 8

4.0 Disaster Risk Management 10


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and a number of small coral heads and reefs within the lagoon itself. The islands ecosystem is

fragile and rich in biodiversity.

1.3 Climate of the island

A tropical maritime climate predominates in the Marshall Islands and temperatures are generally

warm and humid. The average temperature is 81-82 degrees Fahrenheit. The variation of the

temperature is around two degrees on average on a monthly basis.

Rainfall averages vary from the north to the south, with 750 to 1000mm of precipitation in the

drier northern atolls and over 4000mm on Jaluit Atoll. In the northern atolls, the heaviest rainfall

is between September and November. However, in the southern atolls rainfall is common

throughout the year and highest from April to October. Namdrik Atoll is located in the south and

is therefore rainier than the atolls in the north.

The atolls and islands of the Marshall Islands are located on the northeast trade wind belt. The

trade winds are strongest during months from December to April and in the southern atolls winds

f h l d l di i d i h i d f h (C f d


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The Namdrik community is made up of one main village with a few settlements throughout the

island. Some villagers have returned to settle on their own piece of land while majority of the

population still remains on the south western side of the island. The island of Madmad is

uninhabited. The island is used for making copra, fishing on a nearby reef and for pig farming.

All people living on Namdrik are Christians. There are three main churches present: Protestant,

Catholic and the Assemblies of God Church. There are also a few other smaller churches. There

is a primary school on the island with a school population of 185 and offers school for students

from kindergarten to 8th

grade. For secondary school, students either move to Majuro atoll or

Jaluit Atoll to one of the countryssix public schools or to a private school. For post-secondary

education, students go to Majuro to attend the College of the Marshall Islands, the University of

the South Pacific or leave the country to complete their degrees.

2.0 Methodology

The Vulnerability and Adaptation


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experts and local communities are all involved in the decision making process. To ensure that the

PACE-SD V&A was in line with the goals of the community, the team also engaged the

Marshallese Reimaanlok Conservation Planning Process which was developed locally by

stakeholders, NGOs and local agencies to develop principles, process and guidelines for the

design, establishment and management of conservation areas that are fully owned, led and

endorsed by local communities based on their needs, values and cultural heritage." (Reimaanlok

Field Guide, 2012).

The PACE-SD V&A Tool assessment approach covers various sectors including Governance

and Social Structure, Disaster Risk Management, Water resource and Security, Health and

Sanitation, Energy Resources and Communication Information Technology and Food Resources

and Security.As part of the assessment, relevant issues faced by the community are discussedduring the focus group workshops and problem and solution exercises where community

members list key problems, root causes and potential solutions for their specific group

sectors/resource areas.


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The group estimated that there are over 130 children under age 12, approximately 60 individualsbetween ages 13 and 19, and over 100 adults age 20 and above.

Climate Change Knowledge and Attitudes Survey

A total of 122 interviews were conducted with 63 males and 59 females. The majority of the

people interviewed were between 20 and 39 years of age. The majority of respondents had

finished elementary school and many had a secondary school education. The level of climate

change knowledge within the Namdrik community is limited with 12% of respondents having no

knowledge of climate change and a plurality of respondents expressing a little knowledge.

Roughly 89% of respondents think that climate change is human induced and not naturally

occurring. Their level of concern regarding climate change and its potential impacts was

moderate on average while many respondents expressed great concern on the subject.


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Management Advisory Council (CMAC) National Project Team (MIMRA2, EPA

3, MICS

4,

CMI5

) and others. The Namdrik Atoll Local Government has a mandate to manage and protect

marine resources within its 5 mile jurisdiction (MIMRA Act, 1997). The Iroij, Iroij-drik ro,

Alaps and dri-jerbal (traditional leadership) play important role in advising the NALG on issues

related to economic and social development and the well-beings of the community residents. The

Mayor of Namdrik also works to improve the standard of living of the Namdrik community.

With strong commitments from its Senator and other leaders, Namdrik Atoll has been proactive

in seeking to effectively manage its marine and terrestrial resources and implement measures to

adapt to the impending effects of climate change.

The community-based Resources Management Plan, Namdrik Pearl Farm Project, and copra

selling are aspects of the community development plan that are being implemented by the local

government and the community of Namdrik. As part of the management plan, community

members from Namdrik atoll attend a summer management training course each year called the

Community-based Resources Management trainings on Majuro Atoll which include participants


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from the Namdrik Local Resource Committee.

Namdrik has already committed, through its Resource Management Plan the entire atoll as

wetland under the RAMSAR site program, including the lagoon and ocean reef flat for a total

area of 21,996,937 sqm (5.435 acres) and the pearl lines that were identified total 1,159,305 sqm

(286.5 acres) as marine protected areas. Becoming an official RAMSAR site in 2012 reflects

their continued commitment to increasing resilience through awareness and legal protection of its

terrestrial and marine environment. Moreover, the community has re-established their pearl farm,

received funding to start producing coconut oil for sale, undertaken shoreline rehabilitation,

rainwater harvesting, solar power provision and food security and this year will become the first

atoll to participate in the national coconut replanting project. Engaging the Reimaanlok process

towards adopting the Resource Management Plan, Namdrik atoll is in the final stages of signing

off on this key step in order to continue to actively engage in the outputs of the plan including

ordinances, monitoring and community awareness.

In addition, other groups including WUTMI6, the Jaki-Ed (University of the South Pacific


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4.0Disaster Risk Management (Climate-induced disasters)

The most recent serious flooding occurred in February 2011 during seasonal king tides and

destroyed many crops (especially banana and taro). This flooding also led to elevated salinity of

groundwater from the freshwater lens and there is evidence of ongoing erosion in some areas

with coconut palms close to shore being fully undercut (seeField Observation and Snapshots).

In times of impending extreme weather events, the community is warned by Majuro &

Kwajalein Weather Stations via HF radio systems. Namdrik elementary school like most outer

islands schools that were built using compact funds are designed to withstand extreme weather

conditions including typhoons.

Some traditional knowledge-based practices are still being used by the locals to mitigate climate-

induced disasters including mar-e-lik,planting coastal vegetation that can survive in very

sunny, windy and salty conditions near the seashore. This includes species such as kat

(Scaevola taccada Vahl)andkiden(Tournefortia argentea L. f.).

5.0 Water resource and security
http://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/Konnat.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/Konnat.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/Konnat.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/Konnat.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/Konnat.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/Konnat.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/kiden.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/kiden.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/kiden.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/kiden.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/kiden.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/kiden.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/kiden.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/Konnat.htmlhttp://www.hawaii.edu/cpis/MI/plants/Konnat.html


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the north, drought is not as serious an issue for the southern atolls like Namdrik. The people of

Namdrik have seen a lot of changes to their environment when comparing it to previous years.

For drinking water on the island the community uses rainwater collected in the water catchments

(tanks) and well water for washing and bathing. To collect water from the well, they use

generator pumps, hand pumps and buckets tied with ropes. Each household has their own water

tank distributed by the Marshall Islands government (with funding from the Republic of China)

with a storage capacity of 1,500 gallons. There is no community tank but they have two tanks at

their community centre. All family members access and manage water resources as it one of the

main priorities in the village.

Table 1.0 Sample taken at random in eight household within the Namdrik community.

Sample No: Location Date/Time 6 hours 12 hours 18 hours 24 hours

S1 N 0535.957E 16806.275

05:12:12/9.12aml No change Turn black

in colour

Black Black

S2N 0536.578

E 16806.105

05:12:12/10.08am No change No change No change Turn black

in colour

S3 N 0536.344E 16806.138

05:12:12/10.57am No change Turn black

in colour

Black Black


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Figure 2.0 Result of the Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) water testing.

6.0 Health and Sanitation

Namdrik community has one Health Center located at the center of the most populated area on

the island. There is only one medical assistant who is serving the community. The range of

services the health centre provides on island includes a diabetic clinic, a hypertension clinic,

pregnancy management, dental check-up and outpatient treatment for numerous other sicknesses.

According to the medical assistant, the Namdrik community has cases of water borne disease

like diarrhea, skin disease and eye disease. The incidence of diarrhea is 10 patients per month,


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organic waste. For inorganic waste the regular practice is to dig holes and bury the waste. The

local government and women's groups have regular cleanup and crop planting projects. The community

also depends on traditional knowledge-based practices which include using herbal medicine (uno

in majol) to treat sickness.

Types of Toilet

Flush Toilet Water seal Toilet No Toilet

22 44 51

Figure 3.0 Graph of the types of toilets that are available in the Namdrik community.

7 0 Energy Resource and Information Communication Technology


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and 16 are without a solar system. The communication technology available in the village

includes several radios and there is one telephone and internet available on one computer. For

extreme weather warnings, the National Communication Authority in Majuro informs the

community.

Solar System

Households with solar

system

Households without solar

system

106 16

8.0 Food Resources and Security

For most families imported food (especially rice, flour, sugar, and canned meat and fish)

provides the primary source of sustenance, but locally grown and harvested foods are important

in supplementing this diet and providing a backup when money is scarce or imported food is

unavailable.

Locally caught seafood provides an important source of protein for many families, with the

f i i i f d d i i l k Fi fi h k


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and shells), and occasionally for building material. Other plants are also important for cooking

fuel, and breadfruit trees are used for building canoes. Most houses are built from imported

materials. The major issues reported by focus group participants included damage to coconuts

and taro by rats, damage to a variety of food crops by pigs, and problems with invasive species

and a disease affecting breadfruit trees.

Marine resources are used mainly for food. Namdrik has a total of over 30 outrigger canoes and

two boats with outboard motors. The frequency of fishing varies by family and time of year, but


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Reference:

1. Limalevu, L and McNamara, K.E (2012) PACE-SD Guidebook: Participatory Assessment of

Vulnerability and Adaptation. Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development,

University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.

Appendix 1.1

Natural Resources (Terrestrial, Marine and Freshwater)

Sectors/Resource

Areas

Issues/Problems Causes Solutions

A. Governance and Socio

Economic

Resources

- Transparency- Accountability- Lack of good

governance

- Lack ofcooperation

- Lack ofdistribution of

information

- Audit is needed- Fair distribution of

power/roles

- Local governmentand community should

work together


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- Not enoughwater tank- Well

contamination

- Not enough tinroofing structures

- Not clean- Water run-off- Human/animal

waste

- Well has no lid

clean

- Need to have cover- Put fence aroundthe well

D. HealthandSanitation

- Diarrhea- Eye disease

- Watercontamination

- Uncleanenvironment

-

- Treat water

E. Food Security 1. Not enough fish

2. Coral dying

3. Fewer turtles

4. Fewer giant clams

5. Bananas not fruiting

1. Overfishing,rising water

temperatures, pollution

2. Pollution,temperature, low tides,crown of thorns

3. Overfishing,eating before they can

reproduce, climate

change

4.

Overharvesting,low tides, coral dying

5. Unhealthy soil,

1. Fish less, createMPAs, reduce

trash/pollution

2. Reducetrash/pollution, removecrown of thorns

3. Harvest less anddont harvest small turtles

4. Create MPAs,reduces trash/pollution

5.

Fertilize, fencepigs/bananas, clean up

6. Replant


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2. Invasive plant killing

other plants

3. Not many kimeme(treeused for firewood) left

4. Less lo(plant used forhandicrafts)

2. Seeds/plantsbrought in from outside

3. Too muchcutting

4. Cutting downtoo much

them

3. Reduce harvest,replant

4. Reduce harvest,replant

Appendix 1.2

Identifying and Prioritizing Adaptation Options

Sectors/Resource Areas Adaptations options(Solutions)

Priorities

A. Governance andSocio Economic

Resources

- Audit is a need forthe local government

- Need co-operationbetween local

government andcommunity

- Fair distribution ofauthority

Priority (1)

- Co-operationbetween local

government and

community (10)

B. Livelihood Sectors


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iii.Energy Resourcesand

Information

Technology

iv.Food Resourcesand Security

- Test water- Treat water withchlorine- Each household

should have a restroom

- Need to renew solarpower system

- Need light bulbs- Need a waste

management plan

- Need moretelephone

- Stop usingdestructive fishing

methods

- Establish MarineProtected Areas

- Do not litter- Clean marine

environment

-

Eradicate invasivespecies

- Limit the numberof fish per catch/size

chlorine (3)

- Each householdshould have a restroom (7)

Priority (1c)

- Need to renew solarpower system (11)

- Need moretelephone (6)

Priority (1d)

- Stop usingdestructive fishingmethods (8)

- Re-planting ofpandanus and coconuttrees (1)


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- Re-planting ofbreadfruit tree in the

middle the island

C. Disaster RiskManagement

- Establish DisasterManagement

Committee

Priority (2)- Establish Disaster

ManagementCommittee (4)

D. Natural Resources - Clear weeds andother plants growing

with pandanus tree

- Teach the womanon how to properly

collect pandanus

leaves

Priority (3)

- Kill and burninvasive plants (5)

- Need pig fence (12)


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Image 1 was taken on

March 30, 2010.

Reflection from the

objects was good due

to the cleared sky.

Erosion taking place.

Location:

1686'16.64"E

535'57.13"N

Time:11:27AM

Tide Height:0.5-0.7

metre

Tide gauge zero is

2.6535 metres below

MAR2.

Image 2 was taken on

December 6, 2012

during a cloudy day,

therefore reflection

from the objects waspoor. Accumulation of

sand in the same area.

Image 1

Image 2


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Image 1was taken on

March 30, 2010. Reflectionfrom the objects was high

due to the cleared sky.

Location:1687'32.278"E

537'53.351"N

Time:10:39AM

Tide Height:0.5-0.7 metre

Tide gauge zero is 2.6535

metres below MAR2.

Image 2was taken onDecember 5, 2012during a

cloudy day, therefore

reflection from the object

was poor. Notice the red

arrows on both images and

distance that has taken

place from Feb. 2010

Dec.2012.

Location: 1687'32.278"E

Image 1

Image 2


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