Vulnerability, Impact and Adaptation

The Caribbean

fotografia1 almudena diaz

The VIA analysis in the Caribbean is being carried out by CARIBSAVE,which is a Not-For-Profit regional organization with its headquarters in Barbados. The analysis is being conducted in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Haiti at both the national and local scales focused on tourism, water resources, coastal areas and disaster risk reduction. The project is in its initial phases of planning and implementation.

In the context of the areas of interest – water resources, coastal areas and the tourism sector, the VIA analyses will provide understanding of the countries’ and watersheds’ exposure to climatic events based on current climate variability and future change (as indicated by scenarios in mean and extreme temperature), such as hurricanes and sea level rise. The climatic events to be considered will be based on those identified in nationally endorsed documents (such as National Communications to the UNFCCCC) and deemed to be of primary concern to the country. The VIA analyses will also identify:

  1. How land use change related to major economic activities like tourism, agriculture and aquaculture has influenced vulnerability;
  2. The key ecosystem services that contribute to livelihoods of national and local populations, and how the activities of these livelihoods such as tourism, fishing and aquaculture affect these services;
  3. Sensitivity of tourism, water resources and coastal areas to current climate variability and future climatic changes;
  4. Natural, social, economic, political, and human capital related to adaptive capacity; and
  5. Nationally and locally appropriate adaptation options to be integrated into strategies and policies.