Global Islands Vulnerability Research, Adaptation, Policy and Development (GIVRAPD) project

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1 Caribbean Regional Headquarters The CARIBSAVE Partnership Hastings House Balmoral Gap Christ Church Barbados, BB14034 Tel: UK Office Almond House, Betteshanger Business Park Deal, Kent CT14 0LX, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) African Regional Headquarters The INTASAVE Partnership; ACDI Geological Sciences Building, Rm. 608, 13 University Avenue, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa Tel: ~ Protecting and enhancing livelihoods, environments and economies around the world Global Islands Vulnerability Research, Adaptation, Policy and Development (GIVRAPD) project Governance Workshop Research Summary - January 2013 Jamaica Project Overview The GIVRAPD project is a 2-year research project in 4 coastal communities in the Caribbean (St Lucia and Jamaica) and the Indian Ocean (Mauritius and Seychelles) that seeks to understand the multi-scale socioeconomic, governance and environmental conditions that shape vulnerability and capacity to adapt to climate change. It is a comparative study of small and medium-sized coastal communities that could be useful for other small island developing states. The project is funded by CDKN and will be undertaken in collaboration by 5 universities, 3 consultancies and 4 governments. Overview Situated in the Caribbean Sea, Jamaica is the 4th largest island nation of the Greater Antilles and the 5th largest island country in the Caribbean. With 2.8 million people, it is the third most populous Anglophone country in the Americas. Kingston is the capital and the country's largest city. Once a Spanish possession known as Santiago, in 1655 the island came under the rule of England (later Great Britain), and was called Jamaica. It achieved full independence from the United Kingdom on the 6 th of August Jamaica is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II serving as the Jamaican monarch but is represented in Jamaica and abroad by the Governor-General of Jamaica. The Governor-General is nominated by the Prime Minister of Jamaica and the entire Cabinet and appointed by the monarch. Jamaica is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with legislative power vested in the bicameral Parliament of Jamaica, consisting of an appointed Senate and a directly elected House of Representatives. Jamaica's current constitution was drafted in 1962 and came into force with the Jamaica Independence Act, 1962 of the United Kingdom parliament, which gave Jamaica independence. Jamaica is divided into 3 counties and 14 parishes (Figure 1). Figure 1: Jamaica s counties and parishes 1

2 Jamaica has had a formal system of local government since 1663, based on the form of local government that existed in England at that time. Jamaica has 14 local authorities made up of 12 parish councils, one municipal corporation (the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation) and a second-tier municipal council within the parish of St Catherine (the Portmore Municipal Council), which was enabled by the innovative Municipalities Act in There are a total of 227 councillors serving the 14 councils, each headed by a mayor who acts as the chairperson of the council. Climate change projections for Jamaica predict an increase in average atmospheric temperature, reduced average annual rainfall, increased Sea Surface Temperatures (SST); and the potential for an increase in the intensity of tropical storms (CaribSave Partnership, 2012). Key vulnerable sectors to climate change in Jamaica, as identified in the country s First National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) include the coastal zone (which produces approximately 90% of the country s GDP), as well as water and agriculture (Medeiros D. et al., 2011). Tourism is by far the largest and most important sector of the Jamaican economy. Tourism is the key activity in the coastal zone with the white sandy beaches providing the ideal location for several resorts. In 1998 it contributed to 20% of GDP. The economy has become increasingly dependent on tourism, providing about one-fourth of all jobs in Jamaica. Agriculture, along with forestry and fisheries is also one of the key economic sectors of Jamaica. This sector contributes approximately 7.3% of GDP. The country is reasonably self-sufficient in food but still relies on imports of wheat, maize, meat, milk, dairy products, fish and lumber. In addition to its economic importance, this sector has direct influence over the landscape of the country and shapes the social and community structures in many areas (MWH &NMS, 2000). According to a recent document prepared by the government, Jamaica is drafting a national Climate Strategy and Action Plan. The government announced in 2006 planning to establish a climate change unit that would act as a clearinghouse for information on climate change in Jamaica and support activities such as development of its National Communications. However, this unit has not yet been established (Medeiros D. et al., 2011). Research Methodology A one-day workshop was conducted in Whitehouse, Jamaica on 22 nd of January An invitation letter was sent out to participants 5-6 weeks before the day of the workshop from the Jamaican Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) together with the agenda for the day. On the day of the workshop, the research team consisted of Ms Muriel Bonjean (GCAP), leading the workshop, Ms Megan Cole ( Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford), representing the GIVRAPD project management team, Dr Donovan Campbell, Caribsave Senior Programme Officer in Jamaica and Ms Sherese Gentles, liaison officer for the GIVRAPD project in the ODPEM. Thirty participants attended the workshop, including representatives of local organisations (e.g. Westmoreland Organic Farm, Westmoreland Parish Council, Bluefield Bay Fishermen s Friendly Society, Gillings Gully Fishermen s Coop. Soc. Ltd, Negril Chamber of Commerce, Beeston Spring Community Development Committee) as well as national organisations (e.g. Planning Institute of Jamaica, Ministry of 2

3 Agriculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, Water Resource Authority, Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing). The workshop started with the introduction and welcome of Mr. Richard Thompson (Deputy Director General of ODPEM), representing Mr Ronald Jackson (Director General of ODPEM). Ms Megan Cole introduced the GIVRAPD project. Dr Donovan Campbell presented the fieldwork carried out in the Westmoreland communities of Whitehouse and Bluefields, using the Community-Based Vulnerability Assessment (CBVA) protocol developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo. Following the introductions, four groups of 6-8 participants worked in break-out sessions though the 3 workshop activities; two groups focussed on agriculture, one on tourism and one on fisheries. The workshop ended with a plenary session where the groups presented some of the thoughts they came up with during the workshop activities and an open discussion. Summary of Activities Three activities were planned throughout the day. One case-study by sector was handed-out to help to provide the context to the group activities. The aim of the first group activity was to identify the existing stakeholders involved in adaptation planning implementation for the sector the group was working on and to assess horizontal and vertical linkages/relationships between the various stakeholders. The linkages captured were: a) information/advice, b) funding and c) line of command/authority. The activity also looked at the influence of each actor on the implementation of adaptation activities. The stakeholder mapping methodology used for this activity is from the Net-Map protocol (Schiffer E., 2007). Figure 2 presents a stakeholder map developed by one of the groups. Figure 2: A stakeholder map The second group activity of the workshop aimed to: i) gain group consensus on the critical barriers related to the implementation of adaptation measures for the sector the group was working on and ii) identify the underlying causes behind the chosen barriers. The groups had access to a list of possible barriers and possible causes and were invited to prioritise the two barriers they thought were the most significant for the sector they were working on. Each group had to fill two adaptation barrier cards detailing the chosen barriers. The groups were also free to come up with their own off-list barriers and causes or modified the ones from the lists. The two chosen barriers were then represented on the stakeholder map (from the first activity). 3

4 The last group activity aimed to identify strategies and actions that could contribute to overcome the causes driving the adaptation barriers identified in the second activity. The groups had access to a list of possible adaptation good practice actions but were also free to come up with their own. Each group had to fill in one or two adaptation good practice action card(s) per barrier identified. The emphasis on the adaptation good practice action card(s) was on the implementation and feasibility of the action(s) chosen. Some groups were able to suggest at least one action for the two barriers but some groups concentrated on just one barrier. The second and third activities, using adaptation barrier and adaptation good practice action cards were developed by the Global Climate Adaptation Partnership (GCAP), as a practical application of Moser, S. C. and J. Ekstrom. (2010). The workshop ended with a plenary session where groups presented some of the outcomes of the activities and discussed which actions they would like to see implemented first across sectors. Next Steps Three other governance workshops on adaptation barriers, following the same protocol will be taking place in St Lucia, Seychelles and Mauritius. The results of the governance workshops will be analysed individually but also in the light of the other workshops. The one-to-one governance interviews carried out by the University of Waterloo in Jamaica will contextualise the results of the workshop and especially the stakeholder mapping exercises. The methodology outlined here and the results of the workshop will be outlined in written project outputs that will be shared with the workshop participants and other stakeholders. References CaribSave Partnership (2012) The CaribSave Climate Change Risk Atlas (CCCRA), Climate Change Risk Profile for Jamaica, UKaid from the Department for International Development (DFID) and Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). Download from: [Accessed 25/01/2013] Medeiros, D., Hove, H., Keller, M., Echeverría, D., and Parry, J.E. (2011) Review of Current and Planned Adaptation Action: The Caribbean. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Download from: [Accessed 25/01/2013] Ministry of Water and Housing (MWH) and National Meteorological Service (NMS) (2000). Jamaica s First National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Kingston: Ministry of Water & Housing. Download from: [Accessed 25/01/2013] 4

5 Moser, S. C. and J. Ekstrom. (2010). A framework to diagnose barriers to climate change adaptation, PNAS, 107 (51): , DOI: /pnas Download from: [Accessed 16/07/2012] Schiffer, E. (2007) Net- Map Toolbox, Presented at the Sunbelt Conference of the International Network of Social Network Analysis, May 2007, Corfu, Greece Contact details Muriel Bonjean, Senior Adaptation Expert, Global Climate Adaptation Partnership (GCAP), mbonjean@climateadaptation.cc Dr Machilu Zimba, GIVRAPD Project Coordinator - machilu.zimba@smithschool.ox.ac.uk 5