Jamaica

Overview

Resilient Islands is an initiative to help Caribbean islands cope with the impacts of climate change by promoting the protection of coastal habitats to reduce risks, and by providing communities and governments with the tools to implement sustainable development plans that prioritize nature. The Nature Conservancy and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) work with communities and governments to design innovative decision tools, train local leaders, integrate ecosystem based adaptation strategies into national policies and implement demonstration projects in vulnerable coastal areas.

Resilient Islands in Jamaica

 

Boston Bay, Jamaica. Photo Credit: Kent MacElwee

The project team will work with the Jamaican Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation to align activities with the National Development Plan for Jamaica: Vision 2030 (2009), which includes a National Outcome of “Hazard Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change”.

Through Resilient Islands, the government of Jamaica will have a clear pipeline of ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) projects for one to three coastal communities. Government agencies, partners and the selected communities will benefit from:

 

 

 

 

  • A vulnerability capacity assessment (VCA) to understand their specific areas of risk
  • A checklist of EBA actions for the community
  • A guide for how to adapt community planning tools to integrate EBA solutions
  • A mobile app for community resilience planning
  • Locally-selected, site-specific EBA demonstration projects and model sites that enhance coastal resilience and provide lessons learned for the entire nation

The Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) will have access to the information and training needed to prioritize investments in coastal habitats that help decrease the vulnerability of climate change of the communities they work in.

 

Press

Jamaica Observer – New Regional Project to Use Nature to Reduce Climate Risks
Jamaica Information Service – Jamaica to Benefit from Four Year Climate Change Project
Jamaica Gleaner – Project Looks to Make Nature Work for Islands
Jamaica Observer – Jamaica to Benefit from Four Year Climate Change Project
Good News Jamaica – Nature Offers Better Protection

 

Resources

                         

Jamaica Snap Shot                                      Jamaica Fact Sheet