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This report presents the Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Resilience Analysis and Mapping (ESRAM) prepared as part of Objective 4. ESRAM is a framework employed globally to evaluate and strengthen the resilience of both, natural ecosystems and the socioeconomic systems closely linked to them. ESRAM provides an integrated approach that considers both ecological and social dimensions, providing decision-makers with a systematic tool to analyse relationships between ecosystems and the communities they support. By mapping vulnerabilities and strengths using GIS software, ESRAM helps identify and enable the design of adaptive strategies for sustainable development. The identification of ecosystem‐based adaptation options is critical in dynamic environmental and socioeconomic landscapes such as those found in Fiji. Resilience through adaptive strategies is required to combat challenges like climate change, natural disasters and increases in human activities. Much of the broader evidence base is documented in other sections of the detailed project documents. This is deliberate to ensure that the reader of this report is able to focus on the key information and points.

PACC reports

Reports from the PACC project

The Cook Islands comprises 15 islands with a total land area of 237 sq km and a maximum height above sea-level of 652 m. The islands are scattered over an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.8 million sq km; one of the largest EEZ’s in the South Pacific.

This proposal has been prepared by the Ocean and Islands Programme (OIP) within the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) in collaboration with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). It has been prepared in response to an invitation1 from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to assist the Cook Islands in deriving coastal related information to underpin and inform climate change adaptation decisions for coastal areas of Mangaia Island.

Technical report