Page 10 - IB March 2025

Climate Change Climate Change

WALANDE, CLIMATE

DISPLACEMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS

A community leader looks out to the seawall that has recently fallen apart and no longer fully protects the village of Walande, Malaita Province, Solomon Islands.
Photo: Cyril Eberle for Human Rights Watch

By Nic Maclellan destroyed the houses in the middle of the village.”
He explained that by the mid-2010s, much of the
Over decades, the small community of Walande has seen community had relocated to the mainland, as the island
their offshore home in Solomon Islands battered by cyclones, became unliveable: “We are people migrating from one place
storm surges and sea level rise. Relocating to the mainland to place. When they come to settle here, they become friends
of Malaita—the nation’s most populous island—the community with the landowners here. They become best friends, and
still faces uncertainty and potential displacement in the the best friends allow them to live in this part of southern
future. Malaita.”
The people of Walande certainly won’t be the last to be However, testimony from the community presented in
displaced by the adverse effects of climate change, and their HRW’s report reveals that some community members are
resilience holds many lessons for communities, churches and considering yet another relocation. A young and growing
governments grappling with this existential threat to island population is living without enough land to support them, and
ecosystems, livelihoods and cultures. the ocean is now breaching seawalls designed to protect the
Richard Kwai is a community elder in Walande, a village of mainland site, affecting their capacity to grow traditional
around 800 people. He is one of many displaced community foods.
members who have shared their story in “There’s Just “We are still feeling the effect of climate change in terms
No More Land” – a new report by the non-government of food security,” Kwai explains. “Most of our gardening on
organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW). the coast is already washed away. Our basic food is swamp
Kwai explains that their village, originally located on a taro. But now, I think about 80% of the swamp taro is already
small artificial island off the southern coast of Malaita, faced destroyed and people no longer have enough of that crop.”
environmental threats that steadily built up over decades. He said that the community once lived surrounded by
“The first destruction to the island was in 1986 when the ocean, but now, it’s harder to access fishing grounds:
Cyclone Namu destroyed Solomon Islands,” he said. “People “In terms of fishing, we have the places where we used
escaped to the mainland, and resided on the mainland for to fish; people find it difficult to catch fish now because
about one week while the artificial island was destroyed. the environment is changed. The fish habitats is already
After one week, they came back and rebuilt the island again destroyed, and people move even farther to find fish.”
to its original size.” Already reliant on the goodwill of Malaitan customary
Over time, other adverse effects of climate change steadily landowners, their 50-hectare plot of land is no longer
affected water supply and food security, with the island sufficient to support the community. Young people are drifting
affected by flooding during storm surges and coastal erosion. to the capital Honiara and options are limited. For Richard
“2009 was the worst time for climate change,” Kwai said. Kwai, “We’ll have to convince the landowners to allow us to
“Properties on the island were all destroyed and houses expand the boundary. With negotiation, perhaps we can break
were washed away. The sea washed through the village and through. It depends on the landowners – if they are willing,

10 Islands Business, March 2025