Barriers, needs and potential solutions to reducing vulnerability to global environment change for least developed countries in the Asia-Pacific Region

This paper aims to synthesize material on major climate-related hazards and disasters and environmental challenges facing these least developed countries (LDCs), key barriers to reducing disasters, and identify underlying causes of such barriers while highlighting potential contribution of traditional locally based practices to reducing vulnerability. The synthesis benefitted from documented historical data, local experience, and a systematic review of grey and scientific literature.

This paper is a result of work on Global Environmental Change (GEC) and Sustainable Development in LDCs conducted in 12 Asia Pacific LDCs, which built capacity and facilitated the integration of cross-scale information from local to international levels, to produce comprehensive outputs for policy needs.

Results point to increased frequency and intensity of climate extremes taking a toll on lives and property and that, coastal zone and marine ecosystems are poorly managed and threatened by climate change. Key barriers to reducing disaster risk include governance, technical, financial, cognitive and cultural factors. Indigenous knowledge systems and local experience have the potential to enhance coping mechanisms where integrated into policy frameworks. Innovative, locally based mechanisms could assist LDCs in harnessing this potential.