The proliferating brown alga Sargassum polycystum in Tuvalu, South Pacific: assessment of the bloom and applications to local agriculture and sustainable energy

Since 2011, the small South Pacific atoll nation of Tuvalu has been affected by algal blooms, the most recent being a large growth of the brown alga Sargassum on the main atoll of Funafuti. The gravity of the situation led to an invitation to the authors from the Tuvalu Government to conduct an initial survey of the problem in November 2013. The bloom was seen to be localized on the lagoon side of the main populated island of Fongafale, distributed in a variably dense belt up to 100 m from the shoreline. A total of 19 species of macroalgae were found in the survey area, the dominant one being the phaeophyceaen alga, Sargassum polycystum C. Agardh, with individual plants reaching up to 2 m in length with a cover ranging between 16 and 23 % of the substratum. For seven transects laid from the southern tip of the island to the end of the populated area, wet biomass ranged between 0.45 and 3.56 kg m−2, with an average of 1.68 kg m−2. There was a correlation noticed between the density of human population on the shore and algal biomass, with the highest biomass figures opposite a school and a hotel. Water quality tests also showed nutrient levels almost twice as high in front of populated areas than in unpopulated areas of the island. The algal belt was seen to be concentrated in water less than 1 m deep, becoming sparser as depth increased. The high amount of Sargassum biomass available makes it a good candidate for use as a fertiliser additive for agricultural practices in Tuvalu. Benefits from seaweed-based fertilisers are numerous, and individual farmers have already reported success with the blooms species on the atoll. Additionally, the Sargassum biomass could be converted into biogas using the process of anaerobic digestion in simple household digesters, to meet the need for renewable energy in lighting and cooking

Climate Change Implications for Crop Production in Pacific Islands Region

The purpose of this chapter is to bring to the fore implications of climate change on the status of crop production in the Pacific Islands region. The Pacific Island people derive their livelihood or secure their food security from natural resources sectors including agriculture,forestry, fisheries and aquaculture; that is, their livelihood is depended on the environment. Any threat or impact on their environment will have profound impact on people’s livelihoods. The PICTs limited land resources are under constant pressure from many factors including climate change. Agricultural crops contribute substantially to people’s food security status

Food sources and dietary quality in small Island developing states: Development of methods and policy relevant novel survey data from the Pacific and Caribbean

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have high and increasing rates of diet-related diseases. This situation is associated with a loss of food sovereignty and an increasing reliance on nutritionally poor food imports. A policy goal, therefore, is to improve local diets through improved local production of nutritious foods. Our aim in this study was to develop methods and collect preliminary data on the relationships between where people source their food, their socio-demographic characteristics and dietary quality in Fiji and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) in order to inform further work towards this policy goal. We developed a toolkit of methods to collect individual-level data, including measures of dietary intake, food sources, socio-demographic and health indicators. Individuals aged 15 years were eligible to participate

An analysis of ecosystem-based adaptations in Pacific Island countries

Pacific Islands Countries and Territories’ (PICTs) has one of the richest and most complex ecosystems globally, surrounded by oceans with marine and terrestrial diversity. These diverse ecosystems are essential for the well-being of Pacific Islanders in terms of their livelihoods, food security, recreation and cultural activities; and they are also integral to Islanders’ heritage and identity. The well-being and cultural heritage of the Pacific Islanders are under threat from severe climate change-related impacts; and this is further compounded by several non-climate-change related factors such as overfishing and pollution, all negatively impacting the countries’ ecosystems. These negative impacts include: ecosystem degradation, loss of ecosystem services, and biodiversity loss. Therefore, a nature-based approach such as ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) can be a useful tool in adaptation planning for the PICTs. PICTs have identified EbA as a more sustainable way towards addressing the impacts of climate change due to its costeffectiveness and suitability to the Pacific Islands countries. This is because EbA is a nature-based approach, and its implementation necessitates the involvement of the communities and/or resource owners. EbA projects in the Pacific region have been piloted in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Samoa. An analysis of the results from the four Island nations’ pilot projects revealed that knowledge integration is a significant factor in decision-making under a social-ecological system where the technical or scientific knowledge and the traditional or indigenous knowledge complement each other and, in many cases, validates the indigenous knowledge. However, as PICTs’ economies depend mainly on ecosystem services, both on land and in the ocean for individual and community wellbeing, more research is warranted to further understand how EbA practices best integrate food security and livelihoods