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Coastal protection project opened in Ailinglaplap, Marshall Islands

Thursday, 05 November 2015 11:55
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Sea wall

3 November 2015, Majuro

The President of the Republic of Marshall Islands, His Excellency Christopher Loeak, today officially opened the Coastal Causeway Project in Woja Island, Ailinglaplap, as part of the country's efforts to build resilience to climate change.

The project has involved constructing a rock causeway combined with soft engineering measures, such as tree planting, to strengthen the vulnerable and narrow road link between the two parts of Woja Island.

The project is part of the European Union-supported regional €11.4 million Global Climate Change Alliance: Pacific Small Island States initiative, implemented in partnership with the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Government of the Republic of Marshall Islands.

Speaking at the opening of the causeway, President Loeak said the strengthened and elevated road link meant there was now a safe passage between the two parts of Woja Island.

“When it comes to climate change, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, with its low lying and scattered atolls, is especially vulnerable, and sea level rise is one of the greatest challenges we face today,” the President said.

“Until now, the communities living on the two different parts of Woja Island had to schedule their daily activities, such as getting to school or to the health clinic, around the state of the tide. At high tide, they had to make their way through what was often waist deep water to get to the other side of the island.

“The Government of the Marshall Islands is especially pleased to see this project implemented and constructed by the Ministry of Public Works, with support from the European Union and SPC, so now we have the capacity, to tackle further similar projects with the help of our development partners,” the President said.

"This is a good example of the European Union supporting governments and communities to implement their own priorities in partnership with regional organisations,” the European Union Ambassador for the Pacific, His Excellency Andrew Jacobs, said.

''In the Pacific, the European Union has been, and will continue to be, a long-standing partner in the fight against climate change. We have translated our words into action with approximately €250 million worth of ongoing climate and disaster and sustainable energy-related projects.''

The Director of SPC’s Geoscience Division, Professor Michael Petterson, congratulated the government and people of the Marshall Islands for effectively implementing this project despite all the challenges resulting from remoteness and transportation issues.

“This is an excellent example of building capacity to address climate change impacts. As we know, sea level rise affects all of our Pacific Islands so initiatives such as these are vital to build resilience through practical efforts,”,” Prof Petterson said.

 

Media contacts: Zhiyad Khan    SPC Project Communications Assistant, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mohammed Nazeem Kasim, EU Press and Information Officer, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Denise deBrum-Reiher, RMI Public Information Officer, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Background: The Global Climate Change Alliance: Pacific Small Island States (GCCA:PSIS) project is a €11.4  million  European Union supported project, implemented regionally in partnership with SPC and nationally by each of the nine participating governments in Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Tonga and Tuvalu.

 

Newsflash

New technologies will change the way people live in Pacific Island countries. This is according to Dr Wolf Forstreuter, GIS and Remote Sensing Unit specialist at SOPAC, the Applied Geoscience and Technology Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Dr Forstreuter said recent work to detect and analyse changes in vegetation on the Kiribati Islands of Aranuka and Maiana had important implications for all Pacific Islands.

“By overlaying recent satellite imagery on maps that were drawn from aerial photographs taken in 1969 of the Kiribati islands of Aranuka and Maiana, it is possible to detect any changes that have occurred,” he said.

“Not only can we assess the impact of people on the environment, we can assess whether this has been positive or negative. One of the surprises of this study was to discover that new mangrove areas are visible on the coast of both islands.”

Dr Forstreuter said this could be because of the 1969 photography-taking place during high tide, followed by misinterpretation by mapmakers in Britain.

“But the very real possibility is that the mangroves are increasing because they have been protected by the island’s inhabitants,” he said.

The comparison between the older maps overlaid with recent satellite images also shows the spread of settlements and changes to bodies of water.

“This information becomes a useful planning tool for the future. Where should settlements develop? What water is available for such development? Where and what types of farming should be planned to support these settlements?” he said.