Adapting tuna-dependent Pacific Island communities and economies to climate change

Primary objective: Build resilience and adaptive capacity of tuna-dependent Pacific Island communities and economies against climate change impacts on coral reefs and tuna distribution.
Component A: Adaptations to harness tuna to improve food availability of Pacific Island communities as coral reefs are degraded by climate change.
Component B: Adaptations to reduce risks to Pacific Island economies from climate-driven tuna redistribution.
Specific objectives (as stated across A.21 and Executive Summary):
1. Improve access to tuna and pelagic fishes for coastal communities to secure food availability and nutrition (through anchored FAD deployment, training, post-harvest improvements).
2. Increase supply of bycatch for urban/peri-urban food systems from transhipping and unloading operations.
3. Develop and implement an Advanced Warning System (AWS) to forecast tuna redistribution and inform economic and fisheries policy decision making.
4. Strengthen national institutions’ capacity to adapt, negotiate (license revenue retention), and manage industrial fisheries under shifting stock distributions (policy, management, economic planning).
5. Ensure gender-responsive programme delivery and improve wellbeing, livelihoods and food security for vulnerable coastal communities.

The FP sets out explicit outputs and measurable deliverables:
Output 1: Increased national capacity to access to tuna and other pelagic fish for coastal communities.
• 333 anchored FADs deployed across 14 participating countries with strengthened national FAD programmes and fisher training (A1.1/A1.2/A1.3).
Output 2: Increased supply of bycatch and tuna from industrial fishing operations for urban communities
• Bycatch handling & distribution improvements at regional ports and linkages to urban/peri-urban markets (A2.1/A2.2), increasing bycatch supply for targeted countries.
Output 3: Improved forecasts and projections for climate-driven tuna redistribution which facilitate effective adaptations for all stakeholders.
• Advanced Warning System (AWS) developed and operationalized (improved spatial resolution from 2°x2° to 1°x1°, short-term forecasts and longer projections), with country training and use for economic planning and negotiations (A3.1–A3.3).
• Capacity building & institutional strengthening: national FAD programmes, post-harvest and cold chain improvements, training of fishers, fish processors and government staff; policy support for fisheries negotiations.
• Monitoring & evaluation framework and country annex deliverables (Annex 02 provides country participation details and sub-activities).
Direct beneficiaries: ~790,000 people (50% female, 50% male). Indirect beneficiaries: ~2.5 million people (50% female/50% male) — populations within 1 km of the coast in participating countries by 2030. Projected nutrition and food security outputs include tens of millions of additional fish meals per year (FADs estimated to deliver 9–18 million fish meals/year regionally; bycatch interventions ~13 million additional fish meals/year in target urban communities). The AWS benefits 350,000 indirect beneficiaries in the AWS indicators as per the FP. Detailed beneficiary calculations and country breakdowns are in Annex 02 and Technical Studies.

Full gender content (assessment & GAP details):
• A Gender Assessment and Gender Action Plan (GAP) were compiled during Programme development (Annex 08) and identify key gender risks (division of labour; women’s limited access to FADs due to boat ownership; limited recognition of women’s post-harvest roles; inadequate financial resources for women’s needs in processing/market facilities; male-dominated decision making).
• Proposed strategies: awareness raising across programme levels, support for women’s participation in decision making and implementation structures, sex-disaggregated data collection, targeted capacity building focused on post-harvest techniques (processing/marketing) for women, and gender/GBV/SEAH training for stakeholders.
• Programme-level GAP includes actions to mainstream gender, targets and sex-disaggregated M&E, and country-tailored gender actions. The FP explicitly includes gender mainstreaming measures and mitigation of gender risks across interventions. (Detailed paragraphs 194–197 and GAP recommendations).

Total project value USD 156,800,000.00 covering 14 Pacific countries Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Total GCF Financing USD 107,449,716.00, total co-financing (in-kind and grants) USD 49,484,874.00.

Regional science & AWS technology, data & forecasting: The FP describes the development of an Advanced Warning System (AWS) to improve spatial modelling and forecasting of tuna redistribution, raising model resolution and producing actionable short- and long-term forecasts — this is an explicit technology/data capability development. The AWS development includes methods for measuring changes in tuna abundance and distribution and training for national institutions. The FP also references the use of best-practice FAD technology and improved post- harvest processing/handling technology. These elements represent technology transfer (modelling, AWS tools, FAD gear best practices, post-harvest tech) to participating countries, and the FP outlines capacity building to support adoption.

Extensive capacity building is a central component. Specifications include:
• Strengthening national FAD programmes and national capacity to deploy & maintain FADs; training fishers in safe FAD use and improved post-harvest handling (processing, storage, distribution);
• Training government agencies and fisheries management institutions to use AWS outputs for planning and negotiations;
• Institutional strengthening for post-harvest supply chain improvements, port handling, market linkages, and negotiation capacity (WCPFC / trade & licensing negotiations);
• Gender-sensitive capacity building and training (GAP), including upskilling for women in post-harvest and market roles;
• M&E and data collection capacity (sex-disaggregated data collection, monitoring of FAD effectiveness). Details and country training plans are provided in Annexes and Technical Studies.