Episode 5 – Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in the Caribbean

Episode 5 of the Our Shared Ocean podcast brings global expertise in oceanography, engineering and marine biology together, to discuss the use of ecosystem-based adaptation and digital sensing technologies to enhance climate resilience and empower coastal communities in Jamaica and with implications across the Caribbean.

The multi-disciplinary ‘CLIMATESCAN’ team recognise the vulnerability of all islands to climate hazards including sea-level rise, coastal erosion, storms, flooding, and saltwater intrusion. Project-lead, Dr. Salem Gharbia is the Head of Environmental Science at Atlantic Technological University, Sligo and an internationally recognised expert on climate resilience and Environmental monitoring and modelling. Dr. Deborah Villarroel-Lamb is a lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago specializing in the numerical and physical modelling of coastal engineering processes, including ocean hydrodynamics. Her current research focusses on improving the design of nature-based solutions to promote sustainable approaches to coastal protection and advance the climate resilience goals of the Caribbean region. Finally, Dr. Camilo Trench is a Marine Biologist, Lecturer and Coordinator at the University of the West Indies’ Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory. Where he has spent over fifteen years studying mangrove rehabilitation in Jamaica including the restoration of over 50 hectares of mangrove forests.