Development of a spatially integrated approach to support livelihood planning and assessment in Western Province, Solomon Islands
Communities in Solomon Islands and other Pacific nations are generally characterized by a diversity of interacting natural resource uses. Some of the more common activities include fishing, agriculture, logging, tourism, mining and aquaculture. Projects that promote alternative, supplemental or enhanced livelihoods are seen as a strategy to improve people’s resilience to climate change and reduce pressure on natural resources. These projects often focus only on one sector (e.g. fisheries, tourism, agriculture, logging); thus, they fail to acknowledge the complexity of Pacific people’s lives, which generally involve engaging in multiple livelihoods. Multiple sectors and associated livelihoods that depend on the natural environment interact in the land and sea, and can create undesirable ecological and social outcomes, particularly when they compete for space and resources, or when they receive varied support from local people. Neighbouring communities in a landscape may differ in their engagement with these activities, and their choices may affect each other (e.g. unsustainable logging or agriculture in one community may affect fisheries and tourism in communities downstream).
The proposed project aims to address the challenge of balancing interactions between multiple livelihood activities in coastal areas by establishing an Integrated Livelihoods Approach, which seeks to guide decision-makers engaged in livelihood improvement project planning and assessment to achieve three desired outcomes; (1) a fair and just society, (2) sustainable natural resource use, and (3) resilient livelihoods. This project seeks to develop and pilot an Integrated Livelihoods Approach in partnership with stakeholders form Western Province over a two year period.
This project is intended to support the Solomon Islands’ National Development Strategy (2016 – 2035), which centres on improving livelihoods and has the objective of sustained, inclusive, and value-added economic growth across key resource sectors. Also, the Solomon Islands National Fisheries Policy (2019-29) states that “fisheries management and development systems need to be resilient to unpredictable and potentially destabilising events in the environment that are external to the fishery”. In addition, Western Province is seeking to further develop and promote tourism, and the success of this industry will be largely dependent on a healthy natural resource base. Therefore, careful planning and integration with existing sectors will be needed to ensure positive, equitable outcomes for local people and the environment.
Our project seeks to support the establishment of the planning processes and local networks required to support livelihood projects that reflect, complement and benefit local aspirations and lifestyles, while also producing industry and Provincial co-benefits. As such, beneficiaries will include communities (e.g. more equitable and resilient livelihoods, sustainable natural resource use), industry (increased co-benefits, sustainability and efficiency), and decision-makers (increased communication, co-benefits, policy integration, Provincial-scale environmental and development outcomes).
Project Objectives
The overall aim of this project is to establish the strengthened local networks, integrated governance and policy, and decision support tools (consisting of a spatial database and diagnostic framework) required to implement an Integrated Livelihoods Approach (ILA). The ILA is intended to support local decision-makers in livelihood improvement project planning and assessment. If successful, the project has the potential to extend to other provinces and Pacific Nations over a longer-term project.
Specifically the objectives are to:
1. Establish an ILA Strategic Partnership and Steering Committee for Western Province. This committee will lead the project in achieving the subsequent objectives.
2. Determine and initiate the governance and policy integration required to support the ILA.
3. Develop the decision-support tool: ILA Diagnostic Framework and Spatial Database.
4. Establish mechanisms and identify capacity needs required to sustain and further develop the ILA after project completion.
Research Team: Amy Diedrich, Aubrey Vavu, David Boseto, Hensllyn Boseto, Jacqui Lau, Tiffany Morrison, Claire Holland, Nick Murray, Stephanie Duce, Bethany Smith
Funding: Fisheries Program, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
Partner Organisation: Ecological Solutions, Solomon Islands
For more information please contact Dr Amy Diedrich: amy.diedrich@jcu.edu.au