Community Resilience Case Studies on Climate Change and Disasters in Fiji, Kiribati, and Timor Leste

In their efforts to inform the Australian Government’s aid program on effective climate change integration, the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership commissioned UTS-ISF to conduct research on community resilience. This research was carried out in three diverse communities in Fiji, Kiribati, and Timor-Leste. In each location, the research linked to specific Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) investments relevant to each country's climate and development context. The objective of the research was to capture insights into how Pacific communities respond to climate and disaster risks and build community resilience.

The three case studies were selected based on criteria including diverse geographic locations, DFAT's focus on community resilience, various sector investments, support from DFAT Post, partner engagement willingness, and community consent.

The Fiji case study involved partnering with Women’s Fund Fiji (WFF), which received DFAT support to provide grants to women-led organisations – in this case, women's involvement with the Naitasiri Women’s Dairy Group (NWDG). NWDG is active in the Waikalou community in Serea village in Viti Levu. Through the WFF grant, NWDG enhanced community resilience by creating livelihood opportunities and promoting alternative income generating activities.

In Kiribati, the research focused on community resilience in Betio, South Tarawa. The team partnered with Live & Learn Kiribati to explore their DFAT-funded Atoll Food Futures (AFF) project which aims to improve food security and reduce reliance on imported food. AFF’s activities, such as installing food cubes for gardening and providing seed-saving training, have strengthened the resilience of participating households in Betio.

The Timor Leste case study delved into the resilience of the Morcoluli community in Manufahi Municipality. The focus was on PARTISIPA, a DFAT investment supporting the Government of Timor Leste. PARTISIPA works with national and sub-national governments to enhance policies, systems, and skills for decentralised service delivery and village-level infrastructure. In Morcoluli, the research team learned about strengths and challenges relating to water security.

The three countries involved in this research are highly exposed to different natural hazards and have a history of being affected by disasters. During the research, community members of the three case study locations described how climate change and extreme weather events have impacted their lives in recent years, uncovering diverse experiences among different groups.

Taking a strengths based approach, communities were asked about their adaptation strategies and existing strengths they wish to build on to enhance their resilience against climate change. Across the three case studies, the community members emphasised the importance of collaboration within their communities. There was a strong desire for acquiring new knowledge and skills. Community members also prioritised their traditions, customs, and religious faith as key strengths to carry forward in strengthening community resilience.

The findings of the research highlighted that community resilience is shaped by a complex interplay of social, economic, environmental, and political factors unique to each context. The use of UTS’s Community Resilience Framework (Gero et al., 2024) helped unpack these complexities, exploring how elements of resilience work together to enable or delay progress towards resilience.

The case studies fill knowledge gaps about the factors and dynamics shaping community resilience and will guide approaches to effectively support community-level resilient development through the Australian development assistance program.

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Community resilience in Waikalou community, Serea village, Fiji (2024) (Case Study)

Community resilience in Betio, South Tarawa, Kiribati (2024) (Case Study)

Community resilience in in Morcoluli,Manufahi Municipality, Timor-Leste (2024) (Case Study)

Community Resilience Case Study in Fiji, Kiribati and Timor-Leste: Synthesis Report (2024) (Report)