KAP Phase II - Improving the protection of public assets
Kiribati s a series of low lying atolls and islands, and in many cases these are linked by long man-made causeways that are vulnerable to changes in sea level rise. Coastal management activities within Kiribati in the past have tended to be generally reactive and have used a limited range of solutions. Toprepare for the impacts of future climate change and sea-level rise, pro-active management of coastal resources is is being developed by the Government of Kiribati.
In September 2009, Beca was commissioned by the Government of Kiribati to undertake a coastal condition assessment of the public assets on the coastline in South Tarawa and identify key public assets at risk from coastal erosion and flooding. The assessment was undertaken in September and November 2009 covering all public assets within 20 m of the shoreline in South Tarawa.
The assessment of the physical condition of the coastline included an assessment of the effectiveness of existing structures protecting the assets. Assets have been given a criticality rating based on their importance. For example the main international airport at Bonriki in South Tarawa is considered critical lifeline infrastructure that should be protected against the impacts of climate change, as is the main road.
Outputs from the condition assessment are presented in a MapInfo Proviewer software package which provides a user friendly interface with the GIS database. Each site is colour coded based on the severity of risk to coastal erosion to provide an instant visual representation of high risk areas of the coastline. Interrogation of the viewer provides the user with additional information about the site, a selection of photographs and ability to update the information in future to compare trends in shoreline change.
Analysis of the coastal condition assessment outputs has generated a list of high risk sites which allows the Ministry of PublicWorks (MPWU) within the Government of Kiribati to determine where shoreline protection works should be focussed. To assist with the design of shoreline protection works a Shoreline Protection Design Guideline is being developed. Various adaptation options which are applicable in the coastal environment and context of Kiribati will be presented. The Government of Kiribati will decide what allowances will be made for sea level rise, increased wave heights and overtopping. Several of the chosen sites will be taken through to construction to demonstrate the process and build capacity in the MPWU.
This information about Phase II of the KAP project was produced by our partners at Beca Corporate Holdings Ltd. Download their information sheet here. 
