Exploring how the ClimateWatch (CW) project has embedded climate and biodiversity monitoring in schools and communities over the past three years, strengthening connections between scientific data, Traditional Knowledge and local climate resilience. ClimateWatch Vanuatu empowers citizen scientists, enabling anyone in Vanuatu to collect observational data on culturally significant species to strengthen disaster preparedness and locally relevant adaptation. This side event will showcase the projects journey and demonstrate how embedding Traditional Knowledge monitoring directly within communities can create lasting capacity, meaningful engagement and tangible outputs. Through the ClimateWatch model, ni-Vanuatu communities have been supported to observe and record changes in seasonal indicators, while strengthening intergenerational knowledge sharing and creating opportunities for Traditional Knowledge to inform local understanding of environmental change. By integrating these practices into schools and community activities, the project has moved beyond one-off data collection to establish ongoing monitoring led by local people. The event will share key lessons and outputs from the project, including community-generated climate and biodiversity observations, school-based monitoring, strengthened knowledge exchange and the development of locally owned approaches to climate forecasting. Speakers will explore how this model can support communities to better understand and respond to climate change, while recognising the critical role of Traditional Knowledge in building locally relevant and resilient climate services for scaling across the Pacific.

Venue

Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion

Speakers

Levu B Antfalo, Director, Vanuatu Meteorology & Hydro-meteorological Services (VMHS), John Ruben, Principal Scientific Research & Development Officer, VMHS