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FIGURE Map identifying Serua Island, Dogowale, and Talenaua (prepared by Chandra Jayasuriya).
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People, communities, and regions around the world are being pushed to adapt as climate-related risks increase. Within both policy and academic literature, the planned relocation of communities is often viewed as an adaptation option of last resort, given that it can lead to losses including attachment to place, place-based cultural practices, and i...
Citations
... Indigenous Fijians (iTaukei) and Indo-Fijians, the two major ethnic groups, experience differing levels of vulnerability and resilience to climate change (Gawith et al. 2016;Nakamura and Kanemasu 2020;Yila et al. 2013). Research indicates that iTaukei communities tend to have stronger social networks and cultural practices that promote collective action (Tuimavana 2020;Yee et al. 2022), which can enhance resilience. However, they may also face challenges due to traditional land tenure systems that limit flexibility in land use. ...
... Social capital encompasses the networks, relationships, and shared norms within Fijian communities that facilitate cooperation and mutual support. Among iTaukei communities, social capital often thrives within extended family systems, tight-knit village structures, and communal rituals (Tuimavana 2020;Yee et al. 2022). Indigenous Fijian cultures traditionally place a strong emphasis on communal activities, ceremonies, and shared responsibilities (Tuimavan 2020). ...
This study analyses the socioeconomic resilience of local communities in Fiji in the face of climate change‐induced hazards. Drawing upon two comprehensive datasets, we computed the households’ socioeconomic resilience capacity index (SERCI), following the FAO's Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis II (RIMA‐II) methodology. Our findings revealed that the socioeconomic resilience of Fijian households exhibited an improvement from 1996 to 2007, followed by a stagnation period between 2007 and 2014. iTaukei (indigenous Fijian) households demonstrated lower asset‐based socioeconomic resilience compared to other ethnic groups across the two decades we analysed. Nonetheless, accounting for the role of social capital in the socioeconomic resilience capacity of households substantially reduced the gap between the resilience capacity of the different ethnic groups, as iTaukei households demonstrated higher level of social capital than other ethnic groups. Our results underline that in societies such as those in Fiji where social networks play an important role in times of emergencies and disaster, omitting social capital from the analysis of socioeconomic resilience capacity could lead to flawed policies. Our findings call for holistic approaches that account for social as well as economic aspects of resilience to gain a clearer understanding of the socioeconomic resilience capacity of communities prone to the impacts of climate change.
... Participatory Learning and Action, PLA, as a widely employed approach, see Mukherjee, 2003; or the framework for the inclusion of indigenous people in climate action laid out by Cochran et al., 2013). At a local level, Yee et al. (2022) explore the role of Vanua, a Fijian term that refers to the natural environment, social bonds and kinship ties, and spirituality, that communities use to resist to climate-related relocation. As an example on a global level, Redvers et al. (2022) present the formulation of determinants of planetary health from an Indigenous perspective, which were defined in consensus panels by representatives of 14 indigenous groups. ...
As global climate change intensifies, the question of what makes a place habitable or uninhabitable is critical, particularly in the context of a potential future climate outside the realm of lived experience, and the possible concurrent redistribution of populations partly associated with such climatic shifts. The concept of habitability holds the potential for advancing the understanding of the societal consequences of climate change, as well as for integrating systemic understandings and rights-based approaches. However, most ways of analyzing habitability have shortcomings in terms of in-depth integration of socio-cultural aspects and human agency in shaping habitability, in failing to address spatial inequalities and power dynamics, and in an underemphasis of the connectedness of places. Here we elaborate habitability as an emergent property of the relations between people and a given place that results from people’s interactions with the material and immaterial properties of a place. From this, we identify four axes that are necessary to go beyond environmental changes, and to encompass socio-cultural, economic, and political dynamics: First the processes that influence habitability require a systemic approach, viewing habitability as an outcome of ecological, economic, and political processes. Second, the role of socio-cultural dimensions of habitability requires special consideration, given their own operational logics and functioning of social systems. Third, habitability is not the same for everyone, thus a comprehensive understanding of habitability requires an intersectionally differentiated view on social inequalities. Forth, the influence of external factors necessitates a spatially relational perspective on places in the context of their connections to distant places across scales. We identify key principles that should guide an equitable and responsible research agenda on habitability. Analysis should be based on disciplinary and methodological pluralism and the inclusion of local perspectives. Habitability action should integrate local perspectives with measures that go beyond purely subjective assessments. And habitability should consider the role of powerful actors, while staying engaged with ethical questions of who defines and enacts the future of any given place.
... This led to access to the climate change stories of female individuals at the intersections of culture, history, politics and tradition. Yee et al. (2022) refer to talanoa facilitating reflection on what vanua means in villages, including people's responsibilities to the vanua in the context of climate-induced relocation. McMichael, Katonivualiku, and Powell (2019) value talanoa as a way to learn of grassroots climate change experiences and as a way of locating and building agency in village settings. ...
... These include relationships between extended presence, high levels of trust, local researcher involvement and the effectiveness of talanoa as a data gathering protocol (Orcherton, Mitchell, and McEvoy 2017); and layered revelation of what vanua means that acknowledges the complexity of talanoa beyond the oral-aural element. Data recorded from talanoa has been extended into observation, sense, feeling, and being with local people (Yee et al., 2022). Finally, researchers have explored, and reflected on talanoa within their research process to develop a generalisable framework for indigenous engagement (Feetham et al., 2022). ...
... A second layer of yalomatua climate change research involves privileging methodological approaches capable of eliciting complex information along with elements of the context in which it is embedded and through which it makes sense to those involved. One productive pathway is to adopt a dialogic oralities-based stance to research such as through talanoa-as understood in some Fijian climate change research (Bennett, Neef, and Varea 2020;McMichael, Katonivualiku, and Powell, 2019;Yee et al., 2022), or veitalanoa-as understood in this article. ...
Research is currently being conducted in Fiji into climate change resilience and adaption. Among the research strands is work focused on village and community levels that values customary local knowledge and experience. At the same time, there is a growing corpus of more general research literature from Oceania that illustrates the revelatory potential of Indigenous oralities, customary dialogic practices leveraged for research contexts. Weaving these threads together, this article is a discussion of the potential of veitalanoa, an Indigenous Fijian orality, to contribute to climate change research. Our investigation of the potential of veitalanoa includes the Indigenous Fijian references of vanua, veiwekani, solesolevaki and yalomatua. The inquiry is framed by the Oceania Oralities Framework (Sanga and Reynolds, in press), a tool that points to the embracing nature of oralities-driven research that enables data to be holistically mapped on to a range of universal domains, contextually shaping these in the process. The results suggest that locally focused research would do well to explore the promise of veitalanoa more deeply than previously when seeking to understand local Fijian responses and adaptions to the global issue of climate change. Looking wider, the Fijian example suggests the potential of Oceania oralities in nuanced climate change research in other contexts.
... Relocation outcomes differ based on population, place, time, relocation drivers and events, governance and decision-making and willingness to relocate (Piggott-McKellar and McMichael, 2021;Weerasinghe, 2021). Adverse impacts are likely where planned relocation is not participatory and residents have limited role in decision-making (Seebauer and Winkler, 2020;Bronen and Cochran, 2021), human rights are not protected (Bower and Weerasinghe, 2021), livelihoods and income sources are lost or decline (Hino et al., 2017), community structures are disrupted or dismantled (Binder et al., 2020), place attachments are disrupted that are fundamental to cultural and spiritual identities including among Indigenous peoples (McMichael and Katonivualiku, 2020;Yee et al., 2022aYee et al., , 2022b and where planned relocations are motivated by other political agendas (Kothari, 2014;Bower and Weerasinghe, 2021). It is commonly understood in resettlement literature and practice, that the implications for livelihoods of affected people can be disastrous (Scudder, 2005). ...
... Each Indigenous Fijian person is a part of the Vanua, that encompasses a wide range of related meanings. As a result, Vanua represents more than only the physical concept of the natural environment, it also refers to the social bonds and kinship, ways of being, spirituality and stewardship of place (Yee et al., 2022a(Yee et al., , 2022b: 'Income from this project can help us with the extension of our homes here, partitioning of the house into bedrooms for better privacy' (women, group Talanoa). Some households are renovating and extending their original houses for ongoing use and to use as homestays: 'My husband's older brother has renovated the house in the red zone since it is their family house. ...
... The importance of access to customary land has been documented in other sites of relocation and retreat in Fijisuch as Vunidogoloa, Denimanu and Vunisavisaviwhere traditional land ownership rights have enabled movement of people and assets (Charan et al., 2017;Piggott-McKellar et al., 2019;Yamamoto, 2020). Conversely, there are other places, such as Togoru and Tukuraki, where communities do not have any or sufficient customary land to which to relocate (GIZ, 2020;Yee et al., 2022aYee et al., , 2022b. In Narikoso, relocated residents have sustained access to natural resources, both from ancestral land and fishing areas, that underpin their livelihoods (e.g., land, ocean, fertile soil, food from farming and fishing, water). ...
... Recent years have witnessed a growing recognition of and focus on climate change and human immobility in a variety of contexts (see Adams 2016;Amin et al. 2021;Farbotko 2018;Kelman et al. 2019;Mortreux and Barnett 2009;Yee et al. 2022). These studies have shown that place attachment, family, occupational, social, cultural, and spiritual ties, ontological security, and risk assessment are factors that influence voluntary immobility amidst climate change stressors. ...
Discussions on the climate change–human mobility nexus have received intense academic and policy attention. Although there is evidence that some people decide to stay put amidst climate hazards, research on climate change and immobility remains limited, particularly in relation to Africa. To address this scholarly gap, this study conducted 36 qualitative in-depth interviews to examine voluntary immobility amidst climate-induced recurrent coastal flooding in three Ghanaian coastal communities. Findings revealed three reasons for immobility: place attachment, livelihood opportunities, and low mobility prospects. We argue that understanding voluntary immobility in the context of climate change requires a better appreciation of interconnected factors that cause people to stay put. This study adds to scholarship on voluntary immobility in Africa by highlighting participants’ strong ties to their environment, reliance on their environment for survival, and limited mobility options. Based on the findings, as well as the fact that the reviewed policy frameworks at the national level (Ghana) pay scant attention to climate hazards, particularly coastal flooding and immobile populations, the Ghanaian government should develop bottom-up policies that incorporate local understandings of voluntary immobility in order to protect social connections, livelihoods, and culture.
... Second, people can hold multiple values simultaneously that are at risk from climate change at any one time, which can result in value prioritisation and trade-offs in where resources are allocated to cope with impacts (Henrique et al., 2022;O'Brien and Wolf, 2010;Tschakert et al., 2017). Tensions for example, have been documented within communities as some sacrifice 'place' for job opportunities elsewhere or to be closer to healthcare facilities, while others refuse to move (i.e., voluntary immobility) due to intolerable harm to wellbeing and sense of place (Karlsson et al., 2015;Perumal, 2018;Piggott-McKellar & Vella, 2023;Yee et al., 2022). ...
... Although located within the Serua province boundary, because of their links to the Tui Namosi (paramount chief of Namosi), the inhabitants are closely associated with Namosi provincial engagements and activities. Togoru is a low-lying coastal settlement and despite facing significant coastal impacts in the form of coastal erosion, tidal inundation, and saltwater intrusion, Togoru residents are opposing plans for relocation; instead opting for insitu adaptation (Yee et al., 2022). ...
... Relocation scenarios also include migration within national borders, often very locally between neighbouring islands. However, for most islanders, relocation is the option of last resort (see also Yee et al. 2022). In this commentary, I take Ahamb Island in Vanuatu as my vantage point to reflect on small island states' 'vulnerability'-a popular term often used uncritically to describe communities' lack of safety and unhealthiness in development contexts (Kelman 2020). ...
... Careful attention to bottom-up complexity is also important if outsiders, including researchers and NGOs, want to understand people's 'voluntary immobility'-that is, the desire to stay put in a high-risk area, even if from other perspectives it makes sense to leave. Preference to stay often rests on the attachment people have to place, including identity, memory, imagination and cultural practices related to it (see Yee et al. 2022). In the following, I outline some main factors for how Ahamb people relate to the question of relocation and how approaches may vary within this comparatively small population. ...
... According to research that were conducted by Yee et al. (2022), in their study about the role of Vanua in climate-related voluntary immobility in Fiji, stated that the Pacific Islands are the world's most vulnerable when it comes to the impacts of climate change and also that the Pacific Islands have the lowest percentage on earth on pollution and activities that increase the risks of climate change. There have a lot of studies conducted on the formation of attitudes on climate change as already stated in the previous paragraphs and also it will also state adaptation strategies in the later paragraphs but less studies have been done to ascertain the influence of social representations on climaterelated behaviours and this is understandable because many of the Pacific Island states are more focused on adaptation strategies from the impacts of pollution by big countries. ...
... The social representations and the understanding of the people of Fiji about the impacts of climate change is ingrained and immersed in culture and tradition and with that a lot of people in Fiji are attached to the land and are finding it hard to adjust to adaptive strategies like relocation to higher grounds to prevent being scathed by the impacts of rise in sea level and flooding. Research that was conducted by Yee et al. (2022), found that, despite having the understanding about the impacts of climate change, people of some villages in Fiji, still decide to remain in their current locations because of their attachment to the land and the sea. The research also pointed out that some of these villages need to give their consent in order for the government to move them to higher ground. ...
Social Representation Theory (SRT) is a successful framework that has been used for many years to understand how individuals and groups construct, communicate, and navigate their social reality. Using a narrative method of literature review, this study, with synthesis of findings from previous research, examines how social representations influences attitudes, behaviours, and adaptation strategies related to perceptions about climate change in the Fiji Islands and the Pacific. Findings from the synthesis of results highlights the importance of considering local beliefs and cultural contexts in shaping responses to climate change. The discoveries also place emphasis on the critical role of beliefs and perceptions in driving adaptation efforts and community resilience. For future research, there is a need for inclusive approaches that put together local knowledge and perspectives into climate change policies and strategies that encourages sustainable solutions in Fiji, the Pacific Islands and beyond. Keywords: social representation, climate change, fiji islands, adaptation strategies, community perceptions
... La diversità del panorama delle ricollocazioni nel contesto delle Isole Fiji è spesso trascurata in favore di una narrazione omogeneizzante di cui la ricerca sulle mobilità climatiche deve tenere conto. Casi di immobilità involontaria si intrecciano a manifestazioni di immobilità volontaria, la cui analisi richiede di adottare approcci plurali e decolonizzanti Yee et al. 2022). Le esperienze di (im) mobilità nei diversi villaggi non sono uniformi, né facilmente definibili o contenibili all'interno di un documento governativo. ...
Crisi climatica, (im)mobilità e adattamenti delves into the geographies of climate (im)mobilities in the Republic of Fiji, where internal relocations are slowly becoming a tangible reality. By taking into consideration both state-led and community-led relocation initiatives, this research aims to understand to what extent planned relocation may effectively and sustainably respond to climate change adaptation in a small island context. More broadly, this book contributes to the growing body of critical adaptation, mobilities and island studies, grasping the many facets of a complex, underexplored yet increasingly relevant issue in the realm of current and future global challenges.
... Relocation outcomes differ based on population, place, time, relocation drivers and events, governance and decision-making and willingness to relocate (Piggott-McKellar and McMichael, 2021;Weerasinghe, 2021). Adverse impacts are likely where planned relocation is not participatory and residents have limited role in decision-making (Seebauer and Winkler, 2020;Bronen and Cochran, 2021), human rights are not protected (Bower and Weerasinghe, 2021), livelihoods and income sources are lost or decline (Hino et al., 2017), community structures are disrupted or dismantled (Binder et al., 2020), place attachments are disrupted that are fundamental to cultural and spiritual identities including among Indigenous peoples (McMichael and Katonivualiku, 2020;Yee et al., 2022aYee et al., , 2022b and where planned relocations are motivated by other political agendas (Kothari, 2014;Bower and Weerasinghe, 2021). It is commonly understood in resettlement literature and practice, that the implications for livelihoods of affected people can be disastrous (Scudder, 2005). ...
... Each Indigenous Fijian person is a part of the Vanua, that encompasses a wide range of related meanings. As a result, Vanua represents more than only the physical concept of the natural environment, it also refers to the social bonds and kinship, ways of being, spirituality and stewardship of place (Yee et al., 2022a(Yee et al., , 2022b: 'Income from this project can help us with the extension of our homes here, partitioning of the house into bedrooms for better privacy' (women, group Talanoa). Some households are renovating and extending their original houses for ongoing use and to use as homestays: 'My husband's older brother has renovated the house in the red zone since it is their family house. ...
... The importance of access to customary land has been documented in other sites of relocation and retreat in Fijisuch as Vunidogoloa, Denimanu and Vunisavisaviwhere traditional land ownership rights have enabled movement of people and assets (Charan et al., 2017;Piggott-McKellar et al., 2019;Yamamoto, 2020). Conversely, there are other places, such as Togoru and Tukuraki, where communities do not have any or sufficient customary land to which to relocate (GIZ, 2020;Yee et al., 2022aYee et al., , 2022b. In Narikoso, relocated residents have sustained access to natural resources, both from ancestral land and fishing areas, that underpin their livelihoods (e.g., land, ocean, fertile soil, food from farming and fishing, water). ...
Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are vulnerable to climate change impacts, including sea level rise, extreme weather events and other environmental changes. Planned relocation can be an adaptive response to climatic threats. In Fiji, six communities have already relocated. While there is growing interest in planned relocation, there are few empirical case studies from which to learn. Narikoso village, in the Kadavu Province of Fiji, undertook partial relocation in 2020. Drawing on qualitative research (interviews, group discussions, observation), informed by Vanua methodology in 2022, this study examines the impacts of partial planned relocation on people's lives and livelihoods. Seven sustainable livelihood assets – or forms of ‘capital’ – are explored: natural, social, financial, human, physical and cultural, with the addition of spiritual. Our research found that planned relocation altered forms of capital that underpin sustainable livelihoods, leading to both benefits and problems. We argue that planned relocation must not only reduce exposure to climatic and environmental risk, but promote and preserve the integrity of local ecosystems, value continuity of culture and sustain and develop diverse assets that support sustainable livelihoods. This demands deep engagement with climate change‐affected communities to ensure that planned relocations sustain people's livelihoods, dignity and survival.
