ICURA Start-Up Preliminary Discussion

1. ICURA Start-UpPreliminary Discussion Thursday, June 4, 2009 Telfer School of Management University of Ottawa

2. Review of ICURA Project Proposal • Project title: “Managing adaptation to environmental change in coastal communities: Canada and the Caribbean” • Award notification: March 11, 2009 • Formal announcement: Pending • Funding award: “As requested” Canadian portion awarded: $967,500 (as requested) Funds held at University of Ottawa, Research Grants & Ethics (no account assigned to date) • Committee and detailled comments ICURA Start Up

3. Formal Proposal: General Objectives • develop local community capacity to close the gaps between inevitable environmental change and the urgent need for local coastal communities to adapt their own efforts to anticipate and plan for environmental impacts to their physical, economic, and social well-being • improve planning for adaptation through the development and incorporation of new policy and management measures consistent with established planning theory and guidelines, and the local context, through the identification and implementation of practical local alternatives for coastal resource management • focus on immediate and downstream consequences to coastal communities of the insidious effects of sea level rise and the potential catastrophic impacts of extreme weather events • establish formal collaboration and mutual co-learning opportunities among the selected Canadian and Caribbean coastal communities on comparative research on policy implementation for adaptation to coastal environmental shifts ICURA Start Up

4. Definition of Communities • Governance and local decision makers • municipal governments • Private and public infrastructure services • planners and design professionals, utilities and services, insurance • Business and economic activity organizations • corporations, small businesses, boards of trade and commerce • Citizens’ groups • environmental advocates, indigenous communities • Affected individuals • especially special interest or disadvantaged members of the local society who are socially differentiated by poverty and across gender, class, race and age ICURA Start Up

5. Coastal Communities:Threat Criteria • serious, immediate threats to infrastructure and or natural environments (e.g. tourism infrastructure, natural resources, habitats, species), and to area residents (e.g. livelihoods, family structure, cultural assets, and vulnerabilities derived from poverty/gender issues) • ease of access to available data • opportunities for partnerships and alliances • team member familiarity with area and/or community champions in place ICURA Start Up

6. Program Objectives • Community objectives • Establish formal Community-University alliances • Strengthen community institutional arrangements • Establish long-term linkages • Prepare community action plans • University objectives • Develop academic alliances • Collaborate on global research • Develop new curricula • Joint Community-University Alliances objectives • Identify the short and long term vulnerabilities • Mobilize knowledge and innovation • Build capacity • Develop impact scenarios, and prepare adaptation action plans ICURA Start Up

7. The Research Process: Strategies • Community engagement • Scenario development • Capacity building • New governance options • Practical implementation ICURA Start Up

8. The Research Process: Activities • Study area selection • Community support group • Database development • Alternative scenarios • Cumulative effects analysis • Adaptive capacity • Risk analysis • Policy and instruments • Strategic Adaptation Plans ICURA Start Up

9. The Research Process: Milestones • Year 1 • Establish project website • Establish Community-University Support Groups • Year 2 • Develop sensitivity and vulnerability indices • Prepare community spatial models with baseline indices (GIS, SD) • Year 3 • Work with community groups for ‘buy-in’ (SSM) • Provide training in spatial and vulnerability index use (VI) • Year 4 • Prepare documents for local dissemination • Discuss, review, and feedback (AHP) • Year 5 • Develop Final Report ICURA Start Up

10. ICURA Start Up

11. Methodology • Problem definition • Data collection and community database (SSM, SD) • Visual modelling (GIS) • Vulnerability modelling (VI) • Adaptive capacity and resilience modelling (VI, RI) • Development and assessment of policy options (SD) • Evaluation of group decision making (AHP) • Implementation of local adaptation planning and action frameworks ICURA Start Up

12. Project Outcomes 4.1 Creation and Communication of Knowledge – 4.2 Co-Learning – 4.3 Decision Support Tools - 4.4 Monitoring and EvaluationIndicators – 4.5 Training- 4.6 Community Adaptation Action Plans(CAAPs) – 4.7 Governance Institutional Advice – ICURA Start Up

13. Project Itinerary • Domestic meetings Formal & Informal • Integrating (Canada & Caribbean) meetings • Draft Itinerary • June 29-30, 2009 SSHRC-IDRC Start-Up • End Sept 2009 Canada Co-apps + • October 2009 OMRN - ICURA here? • Nov 2009 + Partners • Feb-March 2010 Canada + Caribbean (T&T); partner site alternative • June 2010 CZCA Charlottetown • Annual meeting – conference, presentation of work to date; participants and invited; ICURA Start Up

14. Project Management • Discuss • Budget ICURA Start Up

15. Project Logistics • Communications • C-Change Website ICURA Start Up

16. Next Steps • June 4 meeting minutes • June 29-July 2 meetings • SSHRC-IDRC Start-Up workshop (June 29-30) • IDRC invitation (July 2) • Follow-up ICURA Start Up