Office for Environmental Programs - Theses
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ItemAssessment of local communities' willingness to protect and maintain retention ponds as a measure to respond to floods in Can Tho, Vietnam( 2015-11-09)The Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) is one of the world’s three deltas which are the most vulnerable to sea level rise and climate change, posing tremendous threats to the population (IPCC, 2007). It is projected that if the sea level rises by one metre, 20,000 km2 of the delta will be flooded, affecting more than one million residents in the delta by 2050 (IPCC, 2007). To alleviate inundation in the delta, the construction of a retention pond and relating drainage system is expected to be a relevant adaptation measure in response to flood risks. A demonstration of the pond was conducted in Can Tho and then will be replicated in other provinces of the VMD. However, after a short period of operation, the pond was contaminated by domestic wastewater flowing into the pond and illegal solid waste. In this study, the perception of local people towards the pond is investigated and barriers to the willingness of community participation in the protection and maintenance of the pond are reviewed. Results of the study show that the lack of effective communication and current formal institutional structure are two core barriers. Based on these findings, the establishment of a communication network and an information-sharing platform is proposed to enhance the local participation.
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ItemExploring the role of disaster risk management in contributing to socio-ecological resilience in coastal areas in Colombia: a review of two approaches to climate change( 2015)To address the increased effects of climate change and natural disasters in the coastal areas of Colombia, it is paramount that current mechanisms and adaptation strategies radically shift from conventional disaster risk management approaches that attempt to manage risk, uncertainty and change, to new holistic approaches that consider the inclusion of ecological systems as a platform to build up adaptation and reduce risk. This review describes the importance to analyze coastal environment as dynamic socio-ecological systems and explore the different implications of climate change and extreme weather events for three coastal livelihoods that support the important social process in the Caribbean and the Pacific coast of Colombia. The aim of this paper is to review the literature with regard to the benefits and constraints of two different disaster risk management approaches, the engineered approach and the ecosystem approach, to increase the resilience of the coastal livelihoods and address climate change and coastal hazards. The review suggest that the use of a conventional approach such as engineered solution could result in further degradation and a decrease of the adaptive capacity of the socio-ecological systems. Additionally, the review suggest that need to implement approaches such as the ecosystem approach that integrate the ecological systems and the social process to address adaptation and foster adaptive capacity in the future. Finally, the review argues for the current scheme of adaption to be shifted there has to be an alliance between different sectors (tourism, fishing and agriculture), that pushes the government to implement effective actions that manage the certainty of change and the uncertainty of climate change.
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ItemClimate-smart agriculture: a review assessing the merits and future applications of a holistic agricultural paradigm that addresses climate change and development challenges.( 2015)Agriculture is facing significant challenges into the future, especially related to food security when faced with climate change. Climate-Smart Agriculture seeks to address these challenges by providing a holistic framework for agricultural adaptation to, and mitigation of climate change, while also alleviating food security problems in a triple-win context. Climate-Smart Agriculture has origins in other agricultural paradigms, such as the Green Revolution, Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Intensification. However it has the advantage of amalgamating the best responses from all three. Theoretically, Climate-Smart Agriculture is a universal paradigm able to solve all agricultural issues. In practice, Climate-Smart Agriculture has significant flaws. It has broad principles that cause conflicts and trade-offs even when a triple-win outcome is promised. Climate-Smart Agriculture also suffers from significant funding, insurance and technical issues, while there is little detail as to how the three arms of Climate-Smart Agriculture (adaptation, mitigation and food security) works together in practice. With some perseverance, Climate-Smart Agriculture can be the paradigm to address all these concerns, especially in a developing country context. Climate-Smart Agriculture has the platform for success, through policy formulation, pushing technologies and intervening in local agricultural systems. Even with potential trade-offs, Climate-Smart Agriculture utilises a best-practice approach to increase agricultural resilience through improving ecosystem service by utilising agroforestry and other methods. Climate-Smart Agriculture can still achieve its goals, through a mixture of novel approaches and proven techniques, it can also succeed further with biodiversity and poverty alleviation gains. However for this to occur Climate-Smart Agriculture must improve evidence building, local effectiveness, climate and agricultural policy cohesion and funding. Scientific endeavour must be prioritised with Climate-Smart Agriculture becoming more water, energy and nutrient-smart. Further research needs to occur into potential synergies and trade-offs, with more Climate-Smart Agricultural involvement in food systems, with a push for more integrated food-energy systems. Furthermore barriers to adoption need to be better understood. Funding has been highlighted as the most important issue facing Climate-Smart Agriculture. Overall funding is not well targeted, nor coalesced between adaptation and mitigation strategies. There is a lack of accountability regarding adaptation funding and an overall disjoin between Climate-Smart Agriculture, climate finance and carbon markets that must be rectified. Overall agriculture requires significant transformation. Climate-Smart Agriculture provides the framework to do this. Yet in its current state, Climate-Smart Agriculture provides nothing new, it faces significant problems that must be rectified if it is to become more than just another theoretical agricultural concept.