CapaSIDS : Capacity Building and Knowledge on Sustainable Responses to Climate Change in Small Island States

Tourism is the main economic sector in many small island states (SIDS). At the same time, however, aggressive occupation of coastal zones by hotels, resorts and secondary housing development increases their vulnerability to climate change-related hazards. These hazards can severely compromise the attractiveness of SIDS, potentially resulting in severe socioeconomic consequences. Many small towns in SIDS are expected to develop significantly over the next decade and have an opportunity to take climate change into account in their planning, thereby avoiding the mistakes of the past.

This project aims to enable municipal governments in SIDS to incorporate climate change adaptation into their long-term planning and decision-making. Researchers will facilitate participatory scenario development and analysis in two municipalities, Sao Vicente in Cape Verde and Sao Tome in Sao Tome and Principe. Geographical information systems (GIS) tools will be used to help stakeholders visualize the impacts of their socioeconomic and climate change scenarios, and to appraise a number of adaptation options.

In addition to these case studies, short training courses and an online training program on how to take climate change into account in urban planning will be offered to urban technicians and planners in Portuguese-speaking SIDS. It is expected that the two study sites - Sao Vicente and Sao Tome - will incorporate the chosen adaptation scenarios in their municipal plans, and that urban professionals in other SIDS will acquire the basic skills to undertake similar exercises in their own municipalities.