breadfruit crops.306 The saltwater intrusions are projected to drastically reduce domestic subsistence agricultural production, directly affecting approximately 60% of the pulaka plantations and making the total destruction of pulaka crops imminent.307 Unless urgent and immediate measures are implemented, this situation will lead to a dependence on imported foods, affecting food security for individuals living in Tuvalu. In order to adapt to the climate change impacts, Tuvalu’s NAPA proposes a USD 2.2 million project to introduce Palau pulaka crops, a salt-tolerant species.308 Right to Adequate Housing Considering the deficit between adaptation needs and constrained resources, States may end up prioritizing action that aids the greatest part of the population whilst having an disproportionately adverse effect on the most vulnerable and marginalized.309 Furthermore, a lack of public consultation of affected populations early on in decision-making processes can lead to unintended consequences and conflicts further down the line. In the context of the right to adequate housing, these concerns are especially apparent with respect to adaptation policies to relocate or resettle communities away from high-risk zones. Such policies may give rise to concerns regarding forced evictions without appropriate forms of legal or other protection. If relocation or resettlement of communities is required, States must therefore ensure that all international guidelines are met, including with respect to the provision of adequate and appropriate housing. CASE STUDY: Post Tsunami Adaptation Strategies in Maldives Maldives and its Atolls are threatened by the effects of climate change with the acceleration of coastal erosion, the increased frequency of storms and floods, and rising sea levels. Since land is very scarce and overcrowding is an issue on many islands, these effects are negatively impacting on Maldivians’ right to adequate housing. The government of Maldives has been aware of the country’s vulnerability to climate change since the late 1980s and had developed a national climate change adaptation strategy prior to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.310 When Maldives was hit by the tsunami, the government adopted a reconstruction and recovery approach influenced by the long-term threat of the effects of climate change based on their climate change adaptation strategy. The focus of both the climate change adaptation strategy and the reconstruction strategy has been to develop ‘resilient islands’ and encourage people to relocate to these islands, moving people from smaller, less inhabited and more vulnerable islands to larger islands with better coastal protections. The incentive of better services was offered to individuals deciding to relocate to these ‘resilient islands’. According to the policy, the resettlement has been demand-driven and based on the free choice of the families311; however, following her official visit in February 2009, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing raised a number of concerns over these tsunami adaptation strategies, including “a lack of participation in the decision making process concerning relocation, the design of the new houses, and the infrastructure, which resulted in new structures that were not always compatible with the livelihood of the 70

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