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The Asia and Pacific region is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Unabated warming could significantly undo previous achievements of economic development and improvements of living standards. At the same time, the region has both the economic capacity and weight of influence to change the present fossil-fuel based development pathway and curb global emissions. This report sheds light on the regional implications of the latest projections of changes in climate conditions over Asia and the Pacific. The assessment concludes that, even under the Paris consensus scenario in which global warming is limited to 1.5°C to 2°C above preindustrial levels, some of the land area, ecosystems, and socioeconomic sectors will be significantly affected by climate change impacts, to which policy makers and the investment community need to adapt to. However, under a Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario, which will cause a global mean temperature rise of over 4°C by the end of this century, the possibilities for adaptation are drastically reduced. Among others, climate change impacts such as the deterioration of the Asian “water towers”, prolonged heat waves, coastal sea-level rise and changes in rainfall patterns could disrupt ecosystem services and lead to severe effects on livelihoods which in turn would affect human health, migration dynamics and the potential for conflicts. This assessment also underlines that, for many areas vital to the region’s economy, research on the effects of climate change is still lacking.

This chapter outlines some of the links between human security and climate change in the Pacific Islands. It demonstrates that climate change poses significant risks to human security in the region. The links between climate change, human security, and instability and conflict are also explored. It seems unlikely that climate change will be the principal cause of violent conflict in the region in the future, but it may increase the risk of violent conflict in some places. The chapter argues that in order to increase human security in the region and avoid possible conflict and instability, climate-change adaptation strategies must be implemented.

Tuvalu's mainland is only about 3,300km from Australia, and they are familiar enough to use the Australian dollar as their national currency. Is global warming only a national threat for Tuvalu and their immediate regional neighbours or for Australia too? It is not just about geography - it is necessary to consider the effect of global warming on world health, migration, defence policy, trade and, ultimately, the threat of foreign conflicts, organized crime and terrorism.

One of the most critical factors influencing the success of the IWP pilot projects has been the choice of sites. Communities that choose to be involved in the project were committed to the process from the outset. In contrast, in communities that did not initiate their own involvement — some did not ask for "expressions of interest", and in some instances the decision about the location of pilot initiatives was politically motivated — it took considerable time for the National Coordinators to convince the community that being involved in the IWP initiative was worthwhile. Two key lessons can be drawn from the initial engagement with pilot communities: pilot sites should be chosen carefully and efforts should be made to not give communities false expectations.

Padma Lai and Meg Keen present a review 01 economic issues that should be considered in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of coniniuttity-based resource management and environment conservation projects in island ecosystems in this, the fifth volume. They describe economic issues that require detailed consultation with community members during the design, implementation and monitoring ofprojects such as those to be supported under the Programme. This includes the identification of institutional issues, socio-economic implications for communities (benefit/cost analysis and cost effective analysis), and suggested strategies for promoting broad community participation and support in conservation and sustainable resource use initiatives (incentives and transaction costs).

In this, the sixth and final volume in this series, Jenny Whyte and her colleagues at the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International and affiliated organizations provide a review of information relating to lessons learned and best practices for resource and habitat conservation and sustainable management initiatives in the Pacific islands region. The review focuses on community-based (participatory) issues associated with the conservation and sustainable management of resources and habitats in island ecosystems with emphasis on the four focal areas for the International Waters Programme (sustainable coastal fisheries, marine protected areas, community-based waste reduction and preservation of freshwater resources). Issues are considered in context of the entire project cycle – from project planning and design; selection of sites; method of community entry; community baseline assessments; participation of communities; the role and participation of governments and, if they are involved, external agencies, NGOs and development assistance agencies; education and awareness activities, completion and exit considerations such as alternative income generation, and monitoring and evaluation. The review considers social, cultural, economic, environmental, administrative, managerial, legal and political dimensions of such projects.