DICES - Dealing with change in SIDS: societal action and political reaction in sea level change adaptation in Small Island Developing States

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The project DICES (Dealing with change in SIDS) analyses and develops options for the implementation of local coastal protection measures in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Implementing coastal protection measures is considered a necessary adaptation strategy in the context of projected sea level rise and the significant impact it is likely to have on society. An interdisciplinary team of coastal engineers, environmental economists and integrated geographers will use carefully selected case studies to (1) analyse the nature of societal action in its cultural embeddedness, (2) identify low-regret strategies as potential coastal protection measures and (3) investigate local people`s willingness to engage in the implementation of these measures. Formal and informal institutions are as important for the active implementation of adaptation strategies as coastal communities` willingness to engage in alternative concepts of coastal protection and related potential infrastructural arrangements. Therefore, DICES particularly focuses on the societal framework conditions and political reactions under which adaptation strategies are perceived and embraced.Based on case studies in two different SIDS, existing governance structures will be investigated and compared to potential options for action derived from probabilistic pathway design. While the Maldives represent a mostly top-down approach to governance, Papua New Guinea has very specific political and societal structures and is organized in a bottom-up approach which strongly relies on civic engagement.The methods applied range from household surveys, choice and field experiments, numerical modelling to focus group discussions with policy entrepreneurs active in the field of coastal protection. The different methodological approaches will be developed in an integrative process and implemented concurrently in both case studies. Similarities and differences will be analyzed and the interdisciplinary interconnection of the methods package applied critically examined. Overall, DICES will make a significant contribution to case study oriented analyses that deal with the barriers and potentials of sea level rise and respective local coping strategies. The transferability of DICES findings will be analysed, and findings incorporated in the international discussion related to sea level change in SIDS.