CI Times Weekly | Current Issue 256 | 23 June 2008
Community workshops on climate change issues
A community based project funded by the European Community through WWF with the assistance of the National Environment Service and Red Cross held meetings in all three tapere of Ngatangiia.
The project is called ‘Enhancing participation in international climate policy’ aims at training the community to carry out vulnerability and adaptation assessments on the risks from climate change related issues.
It is about identifying the issues and coming up with appropriate responses at the community level for instance, storm surge, coastal erosion, floods and direct and indirect risks such as septic run off and damage to houses from flooding.
The agencies worked with community members who made themselves available for the training as facilitators who can work directly within their own community. They are Mona Mato, Maryane Puketi and Kapiri Tere (junior) Charles Ingaua, Metuatini Tangaroa, Tina Maoate, Makiroa Vunibaka and Mata Short.
The workshops attracted around 120 participants who took part in the very lively debates and discussion on environmental issues within the Oire and have identified the issues and come up with their own solutions.
Pasha Carruthers from Climate Change said the next step is for the facilitators and government agencies to look at what the community members have recommended and try and structure those ideas into a ‘draft action plan’ that they will take back to the community in the next month.
They will also assess the existing resources such as the Village Beautification committee and what will need funding and help them come up with project proposals which can be funded. Such funding depends on being on an identified plan and is part of a concerted effort by Government on ‘Land Use’ and other issues that affect our environment.