EcoAdapt Research Themes
The EcoAdapt project pursued five inter-disciplinary research themes
Key research themes
The Ecoadapt Project focussed on five key themes. It has generated a large number of peer-reviewed scientific journal publications.
Climate risk in the Pacific
Climate change impacts are increasing in frequency and intensity and threaten to affect the integrity of, and even irreversibly change many ecosystems and the multitude of functions and services provided to humans. Even small variations in climate and coastal systems put coral reefs at risk from global temperature increase, ocean warming, and acidification.
Coastal processes
Understanding coastal processes for Pacific islands is critical to assessing current and future risks from climate change. Coastal processes are understood by the interaction between larger scale ocean currents and local coastal and inshore features such as reefs, rocky shores and beaches that are unique to each landscape.
Ecosystem-based adaptation
Ecosystem-based adaptation is based in the recognition that ecosystems and livelihoods are interdependent. It involves the conservation, sustainable management and restoration of ecosystems that can help people adapt to the impacts of climate change by harnessing the services provided by healthy and biodiverse ecosystems.
Socio-economics & tourism
The project looked to explore a wide range of human dimensions that can support, or limit, the success of ecosystem based adaptation to climate change. People and economies are an important part of how adaptation to climate change occurs as well as creating a critically important context for the scope of options available. The tourism sector also influences how adaptation can be pursued.
Integrated assessment of adaptation options
A feature of the Pacific EcoAdapt project is the integrated approach to the research which involved bringing together multi-disciplinary teams to assess the whole system – people, ecosystems and economies and how they will be impacted by climate change and benefited by an Ecosystem-based approach to adaptation.
Publications
The Ecoadapt Project has generated a significant amount of peer-review research publications, many of which are freely available if you contact the author. Search through the our publications and policy brief library.