Seaports are vital logistics hubs for regional and global supply chains, none more so than in the Pacific context where ports act as important socio-economic nodes that promote the exchange and flow of goods and services between, and within, Pacific Island Nations. However, it is increasingly recognised that a changing climate will impact on the assets and functions of such critical infrastructure, not only as a consequence of sea-level rise but also an increasing incidence of extreme events and longer-term changes to other climate-influenced variables. As nations in the Pacific region are already considered particularly vulnerable to climate-related and natural hazards, it is important that both current vulnerabilities and future risks are better understood in order to strengthen the resilience of Pacific seaports. In support of this important contemporary agenda, a climate change adaptation decision support toolkit - Climate-Smart Seaports (Pacific) - funded by USAID, was tailored to the Pacific context in partnership with port authorities in Fiji (Suva) and Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby). Both seaports were selected as case studies due to their respective strategic importance in the region. This article reports on the conceptual framing of the toolkit, its development and content (profiling the participatory tools and an engineering application as example components of the toolkit), as well as describing how these were tested in local stakeholder workshops. The article then concludes with reflections on the project findings. The knowledge gained, as documented here, showcases some important lessons and guidance for others seeking to translate climate information for more informed adaptation planning, not only for the seaports sector but also for other critical infrastructure assets.
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