17 March 2025, Nadi, Fiji – With climate change threatening Pacific Island communities, collaboration is more crucial than ever. A regional learning and knowledge exchange event united community leaders, experts, and practitioners from four Pacific Island countries and territories to drive forward Nature-based Solutions through shared expertise. Hosted under the Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change (PEBACC+) project, the event is implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) with funding from the Kiwa Initiative and the French Facility for Global Environment.
The five-day learning event, from 25 February to 1 March 2025, convened 15 participants from Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Designed as a platform for peer-to-peer learning, the event showcased best practices, traditional knowledge, and innovative strategies for implementing Nature-based Solutions through ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to enhance climate resilience.
Mr. Myknee Sirikolo, Director and Botanist with the National Herbarium and Botanical Gardens Division, Solomon Islands Ministry of Forestry & Research said, “This is my first time participating in a regional learning event, and it has been an eye-opener. We share common challenges across the Pacific, and learning from Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia on their EbA experiences has been invaluable.
“The mangrove site visit with the Conservation International team was particularly insightful. Mangrove restoration in the Pacific has a low success rate – perhaps around 10% in some areas. We need to integrate scientific methodologies with traditional knowledge to improve these efforts. A success rate of even 70% would be a significant achievement. Through regional collaboration, we can work together to address these challenges instead of operating in isolation. The knowledge I’ve gained here will be incorporated into my ongoing work with the PEBACC+ project and other community-based EbA initiatives.”
Discussions and practical sessions covered a wide range of EbA topics, including forest restoration, mangrove and coastal vegetation rehabilitation, invasive species management, and integrating EbA into national climate strategies. Field visits to the Fiji Blue Carbon project by Conservation International in Barotu Village in Rakiraki showcased efforts on mangrove restoration. These efforts will continue under RESTORE, another Kiwa-funded project, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchanges between Kiwa-supported initiatives. Also, part of the site visits were the afforestation and reforestation sites in Lautoka and Nadi under Fiji’s Ministry of Fisheries and Forestry. These field visits offered participants a firsthand look at successful EbA interventions, while also facilitating dialogue with local communities leading these efforts.
Ms. Emmy Siro, President of the Council of Northen Ward Women, Vanuatu said, “This is my first time attending a learning event outside Vanuatu and I have learned so much. The experience of New Caledonia using coconut leaves and sticks to protect their coastline was particularly useful. In Vanuatu, we experience frequent landslides especially along riverbanks after the earthquake, and this could help mitigate erosion.
There should be more learning events like this allowing us to learn from one another and engage people with specialized knowledge such as experts on mangrove restoration. When I return home, I will share what I have learned, especially insights from the mangrove restoration site visit and the coconut leaf method. This experience has strengthened my commitment to championing EbA in my country.”
A key outcome of the event is the establishment of a regional network of EbA practitioners, fostering collaboration and ensuing the long-term sustainability and expansion of nature-based solutions in the Pacific. The exchange also aims to generate actionable solutions to challenges in EbA implementation, reinforcing both ecosystem and community resilience.
Mr. Alex Dahi, North Province Directorate of Economic Development and Environment, New Caledonia said, “The Learning Event has transformed my understanding of EbA. Visiting Barotu Village in Rakiraki and listening to presentations from different countries has deepened my appreciation of how nature-based solutions support livelihoods and resilience. I now feel confident in applying these lessons to my work and refining EbA practices in collaboration with the communities I serve in Kouauoa.”
(Photo: SPREP/S.Tavanabola, PEBACC+ © Kiwa Initiative – Feb. 2025)
The PEBACC+ project builds on the success of its predecessor, PEBACC (2015-2020), and remains a cornerstone of regional efforts to address the escalating threats of climate change. By fostering knowledge exchange and strengthening collaboration among community experts, the initiative is paving the way for more effective and sustainable nature-based solutions across the Pacific.
Ms. Loraini Sivo, PEBACC+ Project Manager with SPREP emphasised the crucial role of knowledge exchange in strengthening regional cooperation. “This learning event provides an invaluable opportunity for local community experts to share experiences and insights, enabling the replication and scaling up of successful nature-based solutions across the Pacific.”
The EbA Regional Learning and Knowledge Exchange event collaborated with Conservation International, WWF Pacific, and the Fiji Ministry of Fisheries and Forests to facilitate site visits around Viti Levu. Originally scheduled to be held in Taveuni, the event was relocated to Nadi due to adverse weather conditions and the impact of Tropical Cyclone Rae on Taveuni, one of the project’s key demonstration sites.
By investing in knowledge-sharing and collaboration, the PEBACC+ project is not only enhancing local climate resilience but also setting a precedent for regional adaptation strategies that can be scaled across the Pacific.
(Photo: SPREP/S.Tavanabola, PEBACC+ © Kiwa Initiative – Feb. 2025)
PEBACC+ is a €5.8 million regional project implemented by SPREP and funded by the Kiwa Initiative through its donors the European Union, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Global Affairs Canada, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), with co-financing from French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM). This four-year project seeks to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems, economies, and communities to the impacts of climate change in Fiji, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The project will develop, sustain, and institutionalize Ecosystem-based Adaptation to climate change in these five countries and territories.
For more information, please contact: Setaita Tavanabola, Communications Officer, PEBACC+ Project, SPREP; tel: +679 9468748; email: setaitat@sprep.org
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About SPREP
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme is the leading intergovernmental organization with a mandate to promote cooperation in the Pacific region, help protect and improve its environment and ensure sustainable development for current and future generations. For more information: www.sprep.org
About the Kiwa Initiative
The “Kiwa Initiative – Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate resilience” aims to strengthen climate resilience of ecosystems, communities, and economies in the Pacific Islands by using NbS to protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity. It provides local or national authorities, civil society, and regional organisations in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories with simplified access to funding for climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation. The Initiative is funded by the European Union, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Global Affairs Canada, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). It has established partnerships with the Pacific Community (SPC), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Oceania regional office. For more information: www.kiwainitiative.org
About FFEM
The French Global Environment Facility promotes innovative solutions in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable socio-economic development in lower-income countries. It was created in 1994 by the French government following the first Earth Summit and has already supported more than 350 projects in over 120 countries (two-thirds of which are in Africa). The projects it supports contribute to preserving biodiversity, the climate, international waters, land, and the ozone layer and combat chemical pollution. The FFEM’s particularity: to focus on pilot projects to learn from them and disseminate their innovations on a larger scale. For more information: www.ffem.fr/en