Tonga and Palau partner on climate change

Transcript

Tonga and Palau have partnered in an effort to reduce the impact of climate change on their coasts.

This week a team from Palau visited the kingdom to inspect their foreshore project on the eastern side of the main island.

Koro Vaka'uta reports.

The Associate Climate Change Coordinator for Palau says his country is desperate for ways to fight the devastating impact of climate change. Xavier Matsutaro is leading the team visiting Tonga and has been looking at a number of projects including the EU-funded construction of foreshores. He says they have used other methods to combat sea level rise and erosion in the past with mixed sucess.

XAVIER MATSUTARO: It's a new issue that we are faced with and so we are trying to think outside the box in how we can best deal with the issue.  Obviously this won't be a permanent solution but it will at least buy us some time in that we can figure out what to do in terms of relocating our communities more inland.

The Paluans have been particularly impressed with the use of structures called groynes to trap sand and address coastal eroision is a concept that could be used in Palau. The National Climate Change Coordinator in Tonga Manu Manuofetoa explains how they are used.

MANU MANUOFETOA: Blocks of cement which are like 100kgs and square in size.  The idea is to put 10 of the groynes, put them together and spread through the coast and then the idea is to trap the sand here.  From the site where we implement the project there is roaming sand that is roaming around and we need to put in place something that will trap the sand and at the same time build the land inward.  

Mr Manuofetoa says while the project on the main island has been a great success, the outer islands need to be looked at.

MANU MANUOFETOA: That's the long-term plan for the ministry.  Right now this is the funds available from the EU.  That's the only things available to us.  That's why we just selected Eastern Tongatapu but that's the long-term plan of the ministry.  We are currently knocking on donors doors looking for funds for the outer islands.   

Xavier Matsutaro says although his team's visit has the aim of possibly implementing a similar project in Palau in the future the exchange of ideas is two-way.  He says they are promoting an innovative way to protect taro.

XAVIER MATSUTARO: We've developed a two-tier dyke system to protect our taro patches and there was a before and after picture of how there was inundation before the work was done and now it is actually a case where the community uses the system to grow their taro.

A Climate Change Adviser from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Sanivalati Tubuna is encouraged by the unique governmental partnership between the two island nations.

SANIVALATI TUBUNA: It is a big issue given the geographical make-ups of most of the small island countries that we deal with in the Pacific and their vulnerability to sea level rise. Countries are experiencing a certain amount of land that has been inundated with the rise of sea levels.

A Tongan delegation is hopeful that a visit to Palau can be organised for later in the year.