Resilient Islands Project – Science Component
The Resilient Islands science team, comprised of members of the IFRC and TNC, strives to apply and develop innovative tools and technology to help prioritize areas to work, assess the socio-economic and natural environment of these areas and identify interventions (nature-based and humanitarian) to increase the resilience of these communities. The science team communicates the analyses and research through participation in conferences, webinars and through the development of scientific research published in academic journals. In addition, the science team supports the geography teams in DR, Jamaica and Grenada in monitoring selected indicators, such as the area of the ecosystems where the project will intervene.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Assist the geographies in applying or adapting the IFRC tools: Strategic Targeting Methodology (STM) and Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA).
Assess flooding using complex engineering models in the priority sites (Old Harbour Bay and Miches)
Develop knowledge and communications material for geography teams to use during outreach
Support the teams in developing the NbS portfolio that compiles a suite of nature-based solutions/interventions that can be applied to increase the resilience of the target communities
The Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices studies with the climate change component and environmental considerations were implemented at the beginning of the project, to have a clear baseline from which we start with communities in Climate Change and Nature-Based Solutions.
Shoreline Solutions: Guiding Efficient Data Selection for Coastal Risk Modeling and the Design of Adaptation Interventions
This publication presents an inventory of environmental and economic datasets for modeling storm surge and sea level rise impacts and ecosystem-based coastal protection benefits at varying scales. Moreover, it assesses the pros and cons in terms of resolution and costs to assist policymakers, planners, researchers, and other audiences in making cost-effective adaptation interventions. These interventions include nature-based strategies such as coral reef or mangrove restoration for coastal flood mitigation and climate adaptation.
THE FUTURE IN SCIENCE
Increasing the resilience of people in vulnerable communities will continue to be a priority as climate change impacts are felt globally. The science-based tools and methodologies brought by the IFRC team coupled with the spatial, environmental, and socio-economic data and scientific analysis brought by the TNC team continues to be necessary to identify the places to work and climate adaptation solutions that can be implemented to assist in building more resilient and sustainable communities.
