Community responses to climate change on Madang’s North Coast Road
Above: Malmal Primary School students planting mangroves to reduce coastal erosion. Photo: Arthur Wari/World Vision PNG
Above: Houses on the coast at Malmal affected by erosion. Photo: Arthur Wari/World Vision PNG
Along the North Coast Road in Papua New Guinea’s Madang Province, climate change is front of mind for many communities.
World Vision PNG’s Arthur Wari regularly visits these coastal villages in his work on the AHP Disaster READY program, which is supported by the Australian Government, and says that coastal erosion and rising seas are damaging homes, crops and livelihoods.
“Mostly people in the villages talk about soil erosion, because of the tides washing away the land along the sea. They are worried the sea level is rising – in some places many of their houses are on stilts over the water, so they are worried about losing traditional homes,” Arthur says.
“Coastal villages like Riwo, Malmal and Rempi are already experiencing the impacts of climate change. At Malmal, the island just out to sea has vanished due to sea level rise and the people who lived there had to move to the main land,” he says.
Above: Soil erosion near a home at Riwo. Photo: Arthur Wari/World Vision PNG
“A few islands as we speak are almost washed out by the tides and waves that impact them every day.”
The same communities, each home to around 5000 residents, are simultaneously facing threats to food security from changing weather patterns.
“There can be extended droughts, then other times there are floods, ruining yam and taro crops,” says Arthur.
Through the AHP Disaster READY program, the villages have been involved in planting mangroves to combat soil erosion, and local schools have been supported in disaster risk reduction training and community mapping, along with eye and ear health checks for children to support their learning.
Through the AHP, World Vision PNG is supporting Child Focused Disaster Risk Reduction programs across 10 schools and communities in Madang.
“We also started raising awareness to start Student Disaster Risk Reduction Clubs in all 10 schools in the area, and four of the schools have already started to organise these,” says Arthur. “This will raise awareness in the student population and the teachers in schools but also to the community the students belong to.”
Above: The darker area of water and breaking waves show the location of an island near Malmal which is now submerged. Photo: Arthur Wari/World Vision PNG
Local children and youth are actively involved in efforts to protect their communities from the impacts of climate change. Through Disaster READY, World Vision organised two schools, Malmal Primary School and Riwo SDA Primary School, to take part in planting mangroves along sea banks that were experiencing rapid erosion.
“The children learned how important the mangroves are, and how mangroves can reduce the impact of the tide from eroding the seashore,” Arthur said.
Despite seeing clear impacts in their communities from climate change, Madang’s coastal residents are far removed from global debates and discussions on climate change.
As world leaders prepare for climate change discussions in Glasgow in November 2021 at COP26, we share perspectives from North Coast Road communities that are proactively adapting to climate change impacts in their own villages, with the support of the Disaster READY program.
Beno Sil
Community member, Malmal, Madang
“I was born in 1960s, and weather patterns have changed a lot since. I have been involved in lots of awareness on climate change in my community as a ward recorder. Most of my land has been taken by the sea, including coconut trees and other food and ornamental trees.
I participated in one of the Disaster READY programs by World Vision to plant mangroves in our coastline, to reduce soil erosion. I have seen that climate change is really going to change our landscape, especially for those of us living on the coastlines. I am now helping at my own time and cost to protect one of the small islands outside of Malmal community that is vulnerable and exposed to sea changes.”
Marianne S. Elisha
Community member, Rempi, Madang
“I am 54 years old, and I have been seeing a lot of change around my coastline, especially where I reside. From my teens, I have noticed that the sea banks have been eroded heavily and very fast. The speed of this climate change is frequent and intense and I fear that our land will be in the sea in next 10 to 15 years and we will only have food crops like sago and tapioca all year around.
We need help with new seeds for food crops and support measures in terms of funds and action to reduce further coastline erosion.
Strong winds and high tides have resulted in loss of customary land that once were homes or gardens. Our food crops have also reduced in size, not the same as some 10 years ago. Food crops like taro, yam, sweet potatoes, and bananas are smaller and poorer in quality.”
Sixtus Baleng
St. Mary's Malmal Primary School Head Teacher
“Climate change in Malmal is a big problem now. The heat is increasing every day and giving us lots of community and environment problems. I see sea levels rising and causing erosion of the coastlines of our village, and we are seeing smaller islands disappearing before our eyes.
Help and support coming from AHP Disaster READY, like the recent mangrove planting, our Hazard Risk Map and general awareness, is timely to help people in Malmal to prepare for, respond to and recover from climate induced sea level rise and other disasters, whether they are slow or rapid.
The island called Malabin was completely submerged under the sea in 2017, and another island closer to our school is under threat of disappearing soon. Stronger sea surges are causing rapid erosion and destruction of trees and palms. It is a threat to homes, properties and lives of our indigenous population. Definitely, if we cannot do anything, our livelihoods will be gone and wiped out of the community.”
Rudolf Mongalle
Madang Provincial Disaster and Emergency Services Director
Climate change is affecting the entire world, history can reveal that it was not like this before, changes are happening in our communities. For instance, our Kranket Island, due to the sea level rising, it’s cutting through.
As I was travelling the coastline of our province, people were telling me that some 50 to 60 years ago their land was far out in the ocean, that this part of our community now where they live was thick jungle, but now it's the coastline.
People know that it’s because of climate change that we are having environmental changes in our communities. There must be serious awareness for communities living close to the sea or along river banks, people must know what are the mitigation or adaptation measures to follow.
My people in Madang, PNG, need to understand more of the dangers in the community where sea levels are high, and the impact on food crops during the dry season. Otherwise, we cannot keep them living there for a long period of time like 10 to 15 years, they will need to be moved to higher locations.
The other step that is vital to minimize the risk of vulnerable communities is to engage the education department to integrate climate change and disaster risk reduction curriculums in schools. My theme in this province is “think globally, and act locally.”
Peter Baleng
Grade 8 Student, Riwo SDA Primary School
Our food crop sizes are not normal anymore. They are small and most of the time they get destroyed by strange weather patterns.
At school, the Disaster READY Program has helped us to increase our knowledge on the main types of disasters and how to respond, and carried out COVID-19 awareness with face mask for students. Eye and ear checks are helping us to improve our learning. The Community Hazard Map helps me to know the safe route to take and safe sites to go to when disasters take place and most importantly to know the hazards around me.
Please help us students who are still going through school. We need food for all seasons here, the wet and dry season.
Joe Benjamin
Riwo SDA Primary School Head Teacher
“Climate change has affected our way of life here at Riwo community. Normal patterns of planting food have changed greatly due to weather pattern changes. The changes in local gardening seasons results in food shortages. When it’s supposed to be dry season, its wet season, it’s opposite altogether and is very confusing to the smallholder farmers.
Sea level increase is also leading to erosion of coastlines. AHP Disaster READY must help us with climate smart food crops and support community initiatives to mitigate further soil erosion.
I have taught here in this community for about six years now and I hear farmers complaining of the size of their harvest of staple food like yam, kaukau and taro. Today the sizes of the yam, or sweet potatoes, are small compared to five years ago.
The Disaster READY Program has helped us to increase our knowledge on disasters and risk reduction and COVID-19 measures for students. Planting mangrove seedlings along our coast helped me to understand the importance of mangroves as homes for fish, which my family depend on for protein and money.
The speed of this climate emergency or climate change impacting our communities is frequent and intense and I fear that our land will be in the sea in next 10 to 15 years and we will only have food crops like sago and tapioca all year around.
Read more on Disaster READY programs in PNG, including disaster mapping for schools in Madang, and disaster preparedness support for local authorities.