"Best Photo" awardee at the regional photo competition themed "Adaptation to Climate Change" (in collaboration with the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and UNDP).

An Interview with the IOM Mauritius Chief of Mission Lalini Veerassamy

Can you please tell us more about the “The Other Migrants’” Project in Mauritius?

Between May 2010 and September 2011, IOM Mauritius implemented this project with the financial support of the IOM Development Fund (former 1035 Facility) and under the guidance of a Project Implementation Committee (PIC) led by the Mauritian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. This project was a first pilot in the Republic of Mauritius and the South Indian Ocean region to address the issue of climate change and migration in the context of the small island developing states.

In fact, we worked in collaboration with l’Institut de Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI), on three assessment studies: one pertaining to better understanding the nexus between climate change and migration in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Agalega islands and the other was an assessment study on ‘Innovative opportunities for small green businesses enterprises in the Republic of Mauritius’ and subsequently proposing feasible pilot economic activities within a framework for the adaptation to climate change. The third study was carried out on the migration trends of Rodriguan fishermen to Mauritius through a small sample household survey in the South East of the island.

This project generated much interest amongst local and regional experts working on adaptation to climate change and as a result, we had the chance to participate in a Regional WIOMSA Workshop involving representatives of the South West Indian Ocean Islands and East Coast of Southern Africa as well as the African Mayors Climate Change Declaration 2011 – Mauritius Mayoral Consultation Forum (July 2011) and the IDM on Migration and Climate Change (Geneva, March 2011).

What types of follow-up to the project took place?

In addition to creating awareness amongst policy makers, the area that gained much interest was the identification of alternative means of livelihood for communities becoming economically and socially more vulnerable as a result of climate change and environmental degradation. Though environmental factors could play a major role on migration behaviours, these factors will be mediated by their impacts on economic activities. It is therefore important to acknowledge the environmental dimension of internal migration associated with the search of new livelihoods. In fact, the assessment above mentioned allowed for identification of a set of guidelines to be used for the definition and implementation of local adaptation projects. Using these criteria would guarantee that local adaptation projects would fit the needs of local communities.

The main project, the making of plates from the sheaths of palm trees, has deeply engaged the community within which it has been implemented- Rivière des Galets. The implementation of this project necessitated extensive capacity building – namely, in personal development and basic entrepreneurial skills of the beneficiaries as well as the transfer of skills in the making of the leaf plates by trainers from the South of India where the project concept originated. The Decentralized Cooperation Programme funded by the European Union pursued this first endeavor and continues to provide support to this small business in Rivière des Galets today.

The Other Migrants’ project also led to strengthen IOM’s collaboration at the global level and an MoU was signed with IDDRI on 6th of July 2011 between Mrs. Laurence Tubiana (Director of IDDRI) and Ambassador William Lacy Swing.

How is the topic relevant at the regional level?

The issue of induced migration and environmental change is indeed very relevant for the Indian Ocean Commission. In fact, in 2011, the issue of induced migration was immediately incorporated within the regional ACCLIMATE-COI project as an important component of the regional strategy on climate change adaptation. Madagascar today, for example, is extremely vulnerable to weather hazards such as drought, flooding and recurrent tropical cyclones – all of which regularly cause damages to local communities and set back development.

The country ranks third on the World Bank list of countries most vulnerable to storms, the frequency and intensity of which are being affected by global warming. Moreover, Madagascar is the 4^th country with the most important rate of malnutrition at the global level – which constitutes an aggravating factor for household vulnerability to food and livelihood insecurity. Over the last decades, Madagascar has been struck by over 35 cyclones and floods, five periods of severe droughts, five earthquakes and seven epidemics. The country has one of the highest cyclone risks among African countries. In Seychelles, the main pillars of the economy (tourism and fisheries) are intrinsically linked to the country's pristine natural and physical island/marine environment. This makes Seychelles extremely vulnerable to climate change and human-induced impacts – in particular, urbanisation.

Given the specific challenges that SIDS face today (e.g., limited fresh water, inordinate pressures on coastal and marine environment and resources, scarce land resources), the impact that environmental changes will have on internal and intra-island mobility will inevitably escalate within the South Indian Ocean islands – which is why a regional response is needed. With the recent signing of a cooperation agreement between IOM and IOC (November 2013), the scope for potential collaboration is favorable.