Women leaders mapping climate threats in the Pacific Islands

ICLEI Oceania recently worked with church parishioners on Betio, a densely populated island facing critical climate threats, and through mapping and storytelling, identified key environmental risks. An animated digital map will aid future adaptation efforts and government discussions.

In July, ICLEI Oceania’s IKI-funded Blue Green Development in Kiribati project turned its attention to Betio, the main island of the South Tarawa chain of islands and the nation’s capital.  Despite its small size – less than 2 square kilometers – Betio is home to over 20,000 people and serves as the nation’s commercial hub and port.  

To understand the critical climate change threats facing this island community, ICLEI Oceania partnered with the Kiribati Local Government Association to engage with the community through a series of meetings. These discussions were held with the five main churches, an integral part of local life.

Each meeting took place in the church’s Maneaba (traditional meeting house) and was attended by up to 20 parishioners, predominantly women leaders.  The team employed a simple but effective mapping technique, encouraging participants to mark the location and extent of key climate threats using pens on hand-drawn maps.  Issues identified included powerful onshore winds, severe beach erosion, the loss of essential trees, and frequent flooding of access roads.

The same map was used across all five meetings, with each group confirming or modifying the climate risk areas. By the end of the process,  a clear consensus on the most pressing environmental threats was reached.  Through an associate partner, this information has now been transformed into an animated digital map, which will be used during future community storytelling sessions and discussions with government representatives.

Betio lies less than 3 metres above sea level and already experiences frequent and serious inundation.  Through the use of simple mapping and storytelling, the project aims to raise awareness amongst Betio residents about the future impacts of climate change. The goal is to empower the community to understand how they will be impacted by climate change in the future and how best to adapt while there is still time.

Mapping exercise during a Maneaba meeting