Climate solutions are most effective when they are shaped by the people who have protected and cared for their environment for generations.
Griffith Asia Institute (GAI) members Professor Andreas Neef and Professor Chris Fleming together with former GAI Director Professor Christoph Nedopil recently co-convened the Australia Awards Fellowship workshop on "Scaling Climate Finance for Indigenous Adaptation Solutions in the Pacific" and the APN policy workshop on "Climate Micro-mobilities as Adaptive Strategies in Fiji and Samoa", held in Suva, Fiji, from 16-17 July 2026.
The two-day workshop brought together more than 20 researchers, policymakers, Indigenous leaders, development partners and climate practitioners from Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji and Australia to explore how climate finance can be made more accessible to Indigenous communities and how locally led adaptation, including Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices, can strengthen climate resilience across the Pacific. Participants also examined how climate-related mobility and customary land systems can support communities in adapting to the impacts of climate change.
The workshop was opened by Fiji's Minister for Environment and Climate Change Hon. Lynda Tabuya.
Hon. Tabuya said Pacific communities have long relied on Indigenous knowledge, customary governance and deep connections to the land and ocean to adapt to environmental change.
"Long before climate adaptation became part of international policy discussions, Pacific communities were adapting to environmental and climatic variability. These systems have enabled communities to thrive for generations and remain essential to our climate future."
These strategies include various forms of micro-mobilities. This may involve the practice of maintaining two or more residences, allowing people to move between coastal and inland areas or between different villages. This flexibility - which is enabled by the system of customary land rights - enhances Pacific people's ability to adapt to climate change and other challenges.
"I have witnessed first-hand the grievances among communities when they have to permanently relocate from the land of their ancestors. Climate micro-mobilities may offer viable alternatives to planned relocation."
The Minister stressed that while there is growing global recognition of Indigenous knowledge and practices, greater effort is needed to ensure climate finance reaches the communities it is intended to serve.
"If we are serious about building climate resilience, we must also be serious about transforming the systems through which adaptation is funded."
In closing, Hon. Tabuya stated that the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change appreciates the valuable work of researchers and partners in producing science-based evidence that informs policy, strengthens climate action and supports resilient communities across Fiji and the Pacific.
Over the course of the workshop, participants explored how climate finance can be made more responsive to Indigenous priorities. They examined pathways for direct access to funding, innovative financing models, stronger partnerships, and approaches that respect Indigenous rights, values and decision-making authority.
The workshop fostered a multidisciplinary and multinational Community of Practice centred on Indigenous climate adaptation and financing. Several initiatives have been proposed to continue collaboration and knowledge exchange, including
- Mutual support and potential co-organisation of pre-COP31 events in Fiji
- Development of a climate adaptation finance group within the Association of
Development Finance Institutions in the Pacific (ADPFIF)
The workshop convenors acknowledge the generous funding from the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN).
As the Pacific region prepares for COP31, the workshop demonstrated the growing momentum behind Indigenous-led climate adaptation across the Pacific and the value of collaborative approaches to climate finance.
