Internal relocation as a relevant and feasible adaptation strategy in Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia

Virginie K E Duvat (1) , Alexandre K Magnan (1, 2) , Lydie Goeldner-Gianella (3) , Delphine Grancher (3) , Stéphane Costa (4) , Olivier Maquaire (4) , Gonéri Le Cozannet (5) , Lucile Stahl (1) , Natacha Volto (1) , Cécilia Pignon-Mussaud (1)

1 LIENSs - LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés
2 Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations
3 LGP - Laboratoire de géographie physique : Environnements Quaternaires et Actuels
4 IDEES - Identité et Différenciation de l’Espace, de l’Environnement et des Sociétés
5 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)

Atoll islands face increasing coastal risks (coastal erosion and marine flooding) due to climate change, especially sea-level rise. To face increasing coastal risks, various adaptation options are considered by atoll countries and territories, including in particular hard protection (preferred option to date), Nature-based Solutions (increasingly used) and island raising (considered a longer-term solution and a potential alternative to international migration, e.g. in the Maldives). Internal relocation within the same atoll island or atoll, which refers to long-term community movement from one threatened island area or island to a safer island area or island, has previously been disregarded by scholars as a potentially relevant climate adaptation strategy. However, in low-lying coastal areas, it offers real potential to address the dual context of increasing climate risks and the shrinking of the solution space. This paper assesses the potential of internal relocation for atolls by applying to Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia, Central Pacific, a two-fold assessment framework questioning its physical relevance ( are some islands high enough to host settlements in the future?) and its societal feasibility ( are the political-institutional and socio-economic conditions in place? Are people willing to relocate ?). The findings show that internal relocation is both relevant and feasible on Rangiroa Atoll and should therefore serve as a pillar to develop robust in situ adaptation pathways in this atoll.

Domaines: Milieux et Changements globaux; Environnement et Société; Géographie

Virginie K E Duvat, Alexandre K Magnan, Lydie Goeldner-Gianella, Delphine Grancher, Stéphane Costa, et al.. Internal relocation as a relevant and feasible adaptation strategy in Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia. Scientific Reports, 2022, 12 (1), pp.14183. ⟨10.1038/s41598-022-18109-8⟩. ⟨hal-03755837⟩