The goal of the project is to build capacity among citizens to deal with impacts on the ground by making informed decisions when developing the Climate Change adaptation plan. The project follows a four-pronged approach. We have established a group of partners, made up of committed citizens and elected officials, as well as resource persons, to help lead the development and the implementation of the adaptation plan for the Cocagne watershed.
We held meetings to discuss current impacts associated with climate change, with the goal of identifying priorities for adapting to impacts. With the support of project partners, we held a consultative meeting with dedicated citizens, representatives of target groups and elected officials.
In collaboration with researchers at the Department of geography at the Université de Moncton, we undertook a study to assess recent trends and identify future risks at the watershed scale. Through the climate study, we describe the trends in climatic change since 1970 and analyze climatic indices, for example heavy rain and drought, to show future changes for the period up to 2100.
We undertook consultative meetings with citizens, representatives of community groups and elected officials. Using maps showing forecasts of sea level rise, participants identified the most vulnerable areas. They discussed adaptation strategies and communication tools to better engage the general public.
With the results of the consultative meetings, we have developed a series of maps that make it possible to identify vulnerable places in the watershed. Project partners better understand the local impacts of climate change, allowing them to select priority actions to adapt to climate change in the Cocagne watershed.
Project partners better understand the local impacts of climate change, allowing them to identify priority actions. Please consult the Final report 2018-2020, (French only) for more details on the adaptation planning process.
The implementation of the recommendations identified in the Climate Change Adaptation Plan is being carried out in three parts. The first part of the program is to determine the important natural places in the watershed and to adopt strategies to conserve them. We are working with the Rural Community of Cocagne, the LSD of Grande-Digue, as well as the Kent Regional Service Commission to advance conservation measures.
The second part focuses on planning for emergency measures. In collaboration with the Cocagne Emergency Measures Planning Committee, we are supporting a promotional campaign to encourage citizens to prepare for more frequent storms and to identify vulnerable people in the event of a disaster.
The third component of the project is to develop an education campaign for citizens of the watershed to better understand the impacts of climate change and to demonstrate adaptation techniques.
Acknowledgements
The PCSDG would like to thank its partners for supporting the project: Université de Moncton, the Kent Regional Service Commission, the NB Climate Change Secretariat and the NB Environmental Network's Climate Change Adaptation Collaborative.
