Intersections | Winter 2015
Conflict Prevention
Climate Adaptation
in Vulnerable Small
Island States: Zanzibar
Climate adaptation is of vital importance not only to a country’s
financial stability, but to human security and conflict prevention.
Vulnerable, low-lying coastal countries, particularly Small Island
Developing States (SIDS) devote a large percentage of their Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) to climate-sensitive areas such as
agriculture and livestock, fisheries, natural protection and tourism.
This renders the economies of such countries highly susceptible
to the negative effects of climate change and necessitates the
development of a contextual, yet replicable plan of action.
In January 2015, The Hague Institute launched a three-stage
pilot project on climate adaptation in vulnerable small island
Current Work | 15
states in the East African island of Zanzibar. A comparative
assessment of previous case studies in SIDS marks the first
step and will provide the background on governance and
disaster risk reduction. The second phase consists of action
research and a participatory planning process in Zanzibar.
The observations and conclusions reached at this point
will feed into the development of a consensus-based and
conflict-sensitive action plan outlining the design of physical
interventions and the necessary governance arrangements
to implement them. This marks the third stage, namely, the
successful tailoring of the project results supported by strong
scientific evidence to the local context.
By focusing on developing effective participatory governance
arrangements, the initiative will contribute to sustainable
economic development, climate change adaptation and
disaster risk reduction. The central tenet of the planning
process in Zanzibar is to build adaptive capacity at multiple
levels and to ensure social justice and human security in
local environmental action.
“ limate change may
C
exacerbate existing
vulnerabilities and
inequalities.”