Riechers M., Baumann L., Braun M., Ganachaud Alexandre, Heeg P., Sabinot Catherine. (2024). "We cannot escape this" : discussing leverage points for sustainability across scales with the example of Ouvéa, Kanaky New Caledonia [+ Correction, 2 p.]. Regional Environmental Change, 24 (4), 146 [15 p.] [+ Correction, 2 p., vol. 25, art. 8, 2025]. ISSN 1436-3798.
Titre du document
"We cannot escape this" : discussing leverage points for sustainability across scales with the example of Ouvéa, Kanaky New Caledonia [+ Correction, 2 p.]
Année de publication
2024
Auteurs
Riechers M., Baumann L., Braun M., Ganachaud Alexandre, Heeg P., Sabinot Catherine
Source
Regional Environmental Change, 2024,
24 (4), 146 [15 p.] [+ Correction, 2 p., vol. 25, art. 8, 2025] ISSN 1436-3798
Despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions, Pacific Island Countries and Territories often shoulder an unequal burden of climate risks. To analyse pathways to sustainability, we conducted a leverage points analysis on the complex sustainability challenges facing the low-lying atoll Ouvéa in Kanaky New Caledonia (France). Leverage points are places within complex systems where interventions can lead to transformative change. Combining a literature review and qualitative interviews with regional, government, provincial, and local stakeholders, we contextualised eight leverage points: (1) expanding and improving coastal protection, (2) strengthening or creating monetary incentives, funding possibilities or forms of compensation to alleviate costs of climate change adaptation and sustainability measures, (3) conducting more research and monitoring, (4) strengthening environmental regulation and restrictions, (5) empowerment of women, youth, and local communities and increasing awareness of power imbalances to strengthen gender equity and social inclusion, (6) establishing new conservation management measures and improving existing ones, (7) increasing institutionalisation of environmental and climate change education, and (8) involving diverse knowledge systems and practices in research and management to strengthen participatory, transdisciplinary, and community-based initiatives. Our results emphasise the importance of acknowledging responsibilities across multiple scales, showing the non-transferability of some interventions due to perceived high costs and incompatibility with local culture. Illustrating dimensions of ocean equity in the context of Ouvéa, we discuss the importance of local values and knowledge systems to ensure fair distribution of costs and benefits in sustainability interventions.
Plan de classement
Sciences du milieu [021]
;
Ecologie, systèmes aquatiques [036]
;
Etudes, transformation, conservation du milieu naturel [082]
Description Géographique
NOUVELLE CALEDONIE ; PACIFIQUE ILES ; OUVEA
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010091378] ;
Nouméa
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010091378
