31 March 2025, Port Vila: Vanuatu’s innovative ClimateWatch project, an initiative of Earthwatch Australia which merges citizen science with traditional knowledge to combat climate impacts, was in the spotlight at the recent Global Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Fund workshop held in the Asia-Pacific region from March 3–7, 2025 in Thailand.

Over 50 delegates from 15 countries shared strategies for scaling nature-based solutions, with Vanuatu’s initiative emerging as a model for community-driven climate adaptation.

Hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Global EbA Fund, the event featured sessions on financing, impact measurement, and leveraging technology for adaptation. Participants exchanged case studies, with a focus on empowering marginalized communities. Ms Shannon Anstee of Earthwatch Australia and Mr John Ruben from Vanuatu’s Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department (VMGD) led a panel discussion on ClimateWatch Vanuatu, which secured a USD249,725 EbA Fund grant to expand its work.

The project, now operational across all six Vanuatu provinces, uses a modified ClimateWatch app to track phenology—seasonal changes in plants and animals—as indicators of climate shifts. During the workshop, Ruben demonstrated how the app has engaged over 200 community members in recording data on traditional ecological knowledge, such as the fruiting of mango trees, historically used to predict cyclone seasons.

 “The opportunity to attend the IUCN Global Ecosystem Based Adaptation Workshop provided an invaluable opportunity to collaborate and learn from other projects working toward similar goals across other country contexts. The workshop provided great opportunity for discussion and included sessions that covered everything from measuring impact, to scaling and financing. It was a privilege to join my colleague Mr John Ruben on stage to showcase the ClimateWatch Vanuatu project as a case study for successfully developed tools for Ecosystem Based Adaptation” added Ms Anstee.

Seeing Pacific Island nations unite around tools like ClimateWatch reaffirms that local knowledge is central to global adaptation efforts.” Mr Ruben added, “By training our Community Climate Centre networks to use the app, we’re preserving vanishing traditions while building a scientific baseline to inform policy.”

Adapted from Australia’s 13-year-old ClimateWatch program, the Vanuatu app—funded by the Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific (COSPPac) and Global EbA fund—now includes 20 species like the turles, palolo worm and breadfruit tree. Data collected will feed into the Vanuatu Klaemet Infoesen blong redy, adapt mo protekt : VanKIRAP’s climate forecasting systems, enhancing disaster preparedness. “Phenology is climate change’s silent alarm,” said Ms. Moirah Matou, VanKIRAP Project Manager.

The EbA Fund grant will support new “ClimateWatch Trails” for eco-tourism and school programs, alongside workshops to train 30 community champions. Delegates also expressed the need for a regional strategy to replicate the model in other Pacific islands.

Participating countries will collaborate on a regional phenology database, while Vanuatu’s VMGD plans to integrate ClimateWatch data into national climate advisories by late 2025. As Ms Matou noted, “This isn’t the end—it’s the start of a Pacific-wide movement.”

For more information, please contact Mr. Sunny Kamuta Seuseu at [email protected] or Ms. Shannon Anstee at [email protected] .