The resilience of Samoan communities in the face of climate change is providing a blueprint for other nations to follow, according to Samoa and Otago researchers.
It is one of the first studies to examine Samoa’s grassroots ability to adapt to climate change, and its authors warn officials risk ignoring village expertise at their peril.
The newly-released paper is co-authored by Dr Anita Latai-Niusulu from the National University of Samoa, and University of Otago Professors Tony Binns and Etienne Nel, both from the School of Geography.
The study, based on Dr Latai-Niusulu’s PhD thesis, interviewed 165 residents in villages across Samoa’s main islands Upolu and Savaii, including in coastal, inland, urban and rural areas.
More than 70 per cent of Samoa’s population lives in 330 rural villages across Upolu and Savaii, and most of the country’s infrastructure, population and development is near the coastline.
Read more at University of Otago
Image: Dr Anita Latai-Niusulu interviewing a Samoan farmer about climate change. Credit: Dr Anita Latai-Niusulu