Evaluating climate change adaptation readiness of Caribbean island nations in relation to communities, fisheries and fishing communities

Abstract

Fishing communities are dependent on natural resources for their sustainable livelihoods especially in developing countries. The Caribbean is one of the most vulnerable regions to the impacts of climate change with unprecedented sea level rise, severe weather conditions such as hurricanes, coastal erosion and loss of infrastructure and livelihoods. The idea of climate change adaptation plans and programs is therefore recognised among governments and relevant stakeholders as crucial especially in developing appropriate strategies and interventions. It is important for these adaptation plans and policies to be evaluated to ascertain their efficiency, effectiveness and also to measure the level of community involvement. In order to evaluate government level climate change preparation, with a focus on fisheries, communities and fishing communities specifically, Ford and King (2013) climate change adaptation readiness framework with potential components and indicators for evaluating readiness for adaptation was adopted. This analysis included evaluating political leadership on adaptation; institutional organisation for adaptation; adaptation decision making and stakeholder involvement; climate change information and research; funding for adaptation planning and evaluation; and science and technology to inform adaptation. Findings from the study indicated significant differences in adaptation readiness scores across the 13 island countries in the Caribbean. Only three countries were identified to have high adaptation readiness scores, eight countries were categorized as having moderate adaptation readiness scores, and two countries obtained low adaptation readiness scores. The findings are important as it will help to identify trends and gaps in climate change adaptation response and to develop appropriate governance strategies for communities, fisheries and fishing communities.